Saharan Dust Enters Texas…And Kicks Up Allergies

One of the things I was so excited about getting out of Austin for was allergies. I've always had some small seasonal allergies, but NEVER as bad as they were in Austin. Well, so much for that.

The Saharan Dust layer has officially arrived in Texas, and with it comes allergies kicking up a bit more than usual.

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Quick history on the Saharan Dust if you don't know. Yes, this is dust that travels over 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the famed Saharan Desert, and I'm convinced it comes over just to make our lives miserable. This dust layer covers nearly the entire state of Texas. It makes our air quality pretty poor, and kicks up allergy symptoms like you wouldn't believe.

I woke up this morning just sniffling and sneezing, thinking to myself why in the world are my allergies so bad today? That's when I realized it was here. Because the dust contains a type of sand we don't normally see nor have in Texas, it'll kick in your immune system with allergy symptoms you'd normally get in the spring as things start to bloom.

So how can we survive through these next few days? Try your normal springtime over the counter allergy meds. If those don't work, you can use a saline spray or nasal irrigation to help fight off the symptoms. The best way to fight it though is to stay inside as much as possible. Sure, the dust can still creep in, but ultimately you won't be fully exposed to it.

Hang in there, it'll be out of here soon!