Plenty of Iowans are slogging through the day sneezing and with red, watery eyes and sniffly noses. It’s not yet time for flu shots, but allergy season is in full swing. Allergist Dr. Mike Sullivan says he’s seeing more people in his office lately who have the all classic symptoms.

Sullivan says, "Typically, from August 15th to close to the first frost is the absolute worst time of the year." The season of allergies for tree pollen is over now, but he says those who suffer from hay fever and other grass-related allergies are really getting hit.

Sullivan says: "Our pollen counts are very high. Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen a marked increase in the weed counts and that is causing many individuals to have flares in their hay fever." Plus, Iowa has one of the highest ragweed counts in the nation. He says the prairie grasses that are native to the Midwest wouldn’t cause an allergic reaction for most people, however…

"We’ve planted very allergenic grasses like Kentucky blue grass and those indeed cause a lot of problems," he says. Statistics find about one in five Iowans suffer from seasonal allergies.