It's that time of year again... the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming – and your eyes are red, itchy and you can't stop sneezing.
And for hay fever sufferers the misery only gets worse as those with the allergy must endure symptoms for up to two weeks longer than they would have in the 1990s, a report found.
Climate change has 'prolonged the pollen season' and increased the amount of time people are exposed to allergens, it suggests.
Hay fever sufferers are allergic to pollen from trees, grass and weeds, with symptoms often worsening in warm, humid and windy weather when the pollen count is at its highest. This tends to be between late March and September.
But authors of the Lancet Countdown in Europe 2026 report say climate change is shifting these flowering seasons and 'increasing the duration of exposure for people with allergic rhinitis'.
By examining birch, alder and olive pollen seasons, researchers found an earlier start of one to two weeks was detected for all allergenic trees between 2015 and 2024, compared to 1991-2000.
Hay fever sufferers endure symptoms for up to two weeks longer than they would have in the 1990s, a report found
A separate study says the UK has some of the highest allergy rates in the world – with 30 per cent of adults affected – and warns NHS care for allergies is 'dramatically under-resourced'.
Professor Joacim Rocklov, co- director of the study published in the Lancet journal, said: 'The health impacts of climate change are intensifying faster than our response is keeping up.
'The choices we make now will decide whether these health impacts worsen or we begin moving toward a… more resilient Europe.'