What Is ‘Thunderstorm Asthma’ And Why Do Iowans Have It?

Are you also sneezing your brains out?

Aren't we all having such fun this time of the year? Pollen is everywhere, we're sniffling every second, and we fluctuate between having the heat or air on in our houses. It's that awkward in-between season.

We've had a few spring storms lately (with more possible in the forecast, according to our friends at KWQC) and they can always pop up. It's these storms that can make your sniffles worse, according to Harvard.

Harvard has labeled it 'thunderstorm asthma', and here's how they describe it:

The term describes an attack of asthma that starts or worsens after a thunderstorm. It can occur in anyone with asthma, but it most often affects people with seasonal allergic rhinitis, which many people know as hay fever or allergies. Heralded by a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes, seasonal allergies are often worst in the spring, summer, or early fall.

And the why:

Rain lowers pollen counts, right? Super. But thunderstorms, says Harvard, have a unique sequence of events:

• Cold downdrafts concentrate air particles (pollen & mold)
• Those air particles are swept up into clouds where the humidity is high
• In the clouds, wind, humidity, and lightning break up those particles into a size that can easily enter the nose, sinuses, and lungs
• Wind gusts concentrate the small particles so they can be blown right up your nose

Even if you don't have asthma to begin with, you could still have a bout with thunderstorm asthma, according to National Asthma Council Australia. If you're outside before a thunderstorm (you know what that air feels like, thick and not good), it's really gusty, and you know you get seasonal allergies, you could be in for it.

So can you call into work if it's supposed to thunderstorm and you don't want to risk upsetting your allergies any more than you have to? It might be worth a shot.