Richmond is once again on a national list, though this one is not a cause for celebration for seasonal allergy sufferers.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America earlier this month released its annual Allergy Capitals report, which ranks the top 100 cities that are the most challenging for seasonal allergies. Richmond ranked at No. 8, improving from the top spot on the list in 2020 but backsliding from 23rd two years ago. 

Stephanie Spera, a professor of geography, environment and sustainability at the University of Richmond, told The Richmonder that climate change is a significant contributor, as the period between the final freeze of winter and the first frost of late fall grows. 

“Plants can start flowering earlier and for longer periods of time because different plants will now flower throughout the extended growing season, making more pollen, which is bad,” Spera said in an email.

But there’s possibly some good news about this spring. 

Dr. Margaret Sigman, a local allergist with Advanced Allergy and Asthma of Virginia, said the allergy season may be shorter this year, as this past winter was colder than recent years. “We were fortunate to have actual winter this year with several snow days,” she said. “For the past few years, we haven't had any snow. It's only been mildly cold.”

Sigman, who grew up in Chesterfield with four siblings and parents with significant allergies, said huge amounts of pollen from the Shenandoah Valley regularly travels all the way to Richmond. She said a few other factors also pump up Richmond’s numbers.  

“We often see pollen 10 months out of the year. We also get a lot of rain, which helps increase the mold count outside. And then of course there are indoor allergens like pet dander and dust mites,” Sigman said. “Even if Northern Virginia is 2 or 3 hours away, it can be a little bit cooler than here. So it’s not surprising sometimes seeing people from there having worse allergies in Richmond.”