They will cry more often: allergy season has begun in Russia
For the second year in a row, Russians have noticed a trend: spring starts earlier. In addition to the long-awaited warmth, active sun and high spirits, spring also opens the allergy season. Izvestia shares a detailed allergen bloom schedule for 2026, as well as what hay fever and cross-allergy are and how to protect yourself during allergy season.
Allergen bloom schedule in Russia for 2026
The allergen flowering schedule depends on the geographical location. In the south and central Russia, the flowering season may begin as early as March, while in the northern regions the first allergens bloom in April-May.
The flowering schedule in Moscow
Alder blossom
According to the Yandex Weather service, in 2026, the flowering schedule in Moscow will be as follows:
- March-April: alder, hazel and willow.
- April-May: birch, oak, poplar and maple.
- May-June: coniferous trees.
- June-July: plantain, bluegrass, fescue and other cereals.
- Early July: linden tree.
- August-September: weeds — wormwood, quinoa, ragweed.
- During the autumn: mold fungi.
The schedule of blooming in Krasnodar
Flowering in Krasnodar begins early, already in February-March, and lasts until mid-autumn. Yandex.Weather records the following flowering periods:
- February -March: cypresses, crocuses, snowdrops.
- Late March — April: deciduous shrubs and trees (alder, hazel, willow).
- April: magnolia, Japanese quince, tulips, daffodils.
- End of April — May: birch, oak, ash, maple, poplar, lilac, spruce.
- June-July: grasses (ryegrass, bluegrass, wheatgrass), conifers.
- End of July — October: peak ragweed activity, with very high pollen levels from mid—August.
The flowering schedule in Novosibirsk
In Novosibirsk, the flowering season begins in April with alders and willows, turning into active dusting of birch and poplar in May. According to Yandex.Weather, allergy sufferers in Novosibirsk need to consider the following months:
- April: alder, willow, hazel, elm. Active dusting begins.
- May: the most active spring month is the flowering of birch (the main allergen), oak, maple, ash, pine, lilac, and hawthorn.
- June-July: grasses and meadow grasses (bluegrass, timofeevka, foxtail, rye), wormwood.
- August-September: wormwood, quinoa, nettle (weeds).
The flowering schedule in Khabarovsk
Birch blossom
The flowering season in Khabarovsk begins in April and lasts until October, divided into three main waves: trees (April-May), meadow grasses (June-July) and weeds (August-October). The Yandex.Weather service predicts the following flowering schedule:
- April-May (trees): alder, birch, willow, maple, poplar. Flowering begins early and is often accompanied by windy weather.
- June-July (meadow grasses): timofeevka, hedgehog, bluegrass, fescue, wheatgrass.
- August-October (weeds): wormwood, ambrosia, quinoa, marjoram. During this period, the highest concentration of pollen is observed.
What is pollinosis?
Allergologists identify pollinosis (seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis) as a systemic disease based on the hypersensitivity of the immune system to pollen from wind-pollinated plants. With pollinosis, pollen proteins, getting on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes, are recognized by the allergy sufferer's immune system as foreign agents. In response, a cascade of inflammatory reactions is triggered with the release of histamine and other mediators, which is clinically manifested by mucosal edema, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, and bronchial smooth muscle spasm.
A distinctive characteristic of pollinosis is its clear seasonality: symptoms occur exclusively during the flowering period of causally significant plants and disappear completely after its completion. Experts point out that the lack of timely therapy and ignoring the first symptoms — itching in the nose and eyes, sneezing, nasal congestion — creates risks of the formation of the so-called cross syndrome. In such cases, allergic inflammation is often accompanied by a secondary bacterial infection, and when the lower respiratory tract is involved, the disease can transform into bronchial asthma.
Diagnostic difficulties arise due to the similarity of the initial symptoms of hay fever with the clinical picture of acute respiratory viral infections. Doctors emphasize the fundamental difference: with hay fever, there is no fever, and the patient's well-being directly depends on external conditions. In dry, windy weather outdoors, symptoms increase dramatically, whereas on rainy days or indoors with purified air, significant relief occurs.
Which blooms are the most allergenic
Contrary to popular myth, the culprits of mass spring allergies are not bright blooming gardens, but trees and grasses prone to wind pollination. According to the monitoring of allergenic plants, birch is the absolute leader in the number of allergic reactions in the central part of Russia. Its pollen has a high irritating potential and can cause cross-allergy to stone fruits, nuts and even carrots.
Birch is followed by alder and hazel in the ranking of the most aggressive allergens, which begin to gather dust even before the snow cover completely disappears. In late spring and in the first half of summer, the relay is intercepted by grasses — timofeevka, hedgehog and fescue. Their pollen is smaller than that of trees and penetrates more easily deep into the respiratory tract, which makes cereal allergy clinically more severe for many patients.
The so-called weed group of plants completes the seasonal marathon. The main allergen of August-September is ragweed wormwood. Although its distribution area is traditionally associated with the southern regions, allergologists have recorded an increase in cases of ragweed pollinosis in the middle zone due to climate change and the import of seeds. Wormwood, quinoa and nettle are also actively gathering dust during this period, whose pollen creates a high concentration in the air of cities and suburbs.
Allergist Ten Myung-soo, head of the allergology department at the W Clinic in St. Petersburg, points out that the severity of symptoms is influenced by geographical factors. For example, the central and northern regions of the country have more trees (mainly birch), while the south has more grasses (meadow grasses and ragweed). Accordingly, a person with an allergy to pollen from trees and grasses in different regions will feel differently due to the different concentrations of pollen in the air.
— It is quite difficult to isolate the most allergenic pollen, since each person is different, and the reactions of the immune system are unpredictable and diverse. In two people with the same set of allergens, the intensity of symptoms may vary, one will suffer from birch, and the other will suffer from ragweed," the allergist tells Izvestia.
The doctor notes that the dusting calendar can change from year to year, as it directly depends on weather conditions.
Dmitry Vologzhanin, MD, allergist and immunologist, told Izvestia about an abnormal trend — the flowering period is coming earlier every year.
— Spring has been really surprising in recent years. After all, no one has canceled the trend towards global warming. It is possible that in the following years, the flowering periods will also begin earlier and earlier. Usually the trees bloom around the May holidays. March is too early for the start of flowering, but we are already seeing high levels of pollen allergens in the air," the expert notes.
A resident of Vologda draws attention to the fact that allergens can be caused not only by trees growing nearby, but also by pollen carried by the wind: for example, the middle strip of Russia often suffers from European pollen.
Cross-allergy
Cross—allergy is an immune reaction to substances similar in structure to the main allergen (pollen, food, latex) that occurs when antibodies (IgE) mistakenly recognize similar proteins in another product.
For example, one of the most popular examples is the birch—stone fruit cross allergy. Due to the extreme similarity of the protein structure, our body confuses the allergen. Therefore, a patient suffering from birch pollinosis often cannot eat apples, pears, apricots, etc.
— The most common cross-reactions are food reactions. In the vast majority of cases, cross—food reactions with seasonal allergies cause oral allergic syndrome or OSA (itching/ swelling/ tingling in the oral cavity), less often they can cause exacerbations of the underlying disease (rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis/ asthma) and almost never cause systemic reactions (anaphylaxis), warns allergist Ten Myung Su.
The expert cites the most popular cross-reactions with blooms:
- Allergy to tree pollen — apples, peaches, pears, cherries, some types of nuts (for example, hazelnuts), as well as raw potatoes and carrots.
- Allergy to meadow (cereal) herbs — honey, tomatoes, celery and carrots, as well as melon and watermelon.
- Allergy to weeds — celery, carrots, parsley and dill, certain types of spices such as cumin, coriander and fennel, as well as some types of fruits and nuts.
- Allergy to spores of non—pathogenic fungi is cheese with mold.
— The biggest myth is that grasses cross-react with wheat (gluten), but this is not the case at all. Therefore, wheat products must be preserved in the diet," Ten Myung-soo points out.
The doctor also emphasizes that protein causes allergies only in its raw form, and when heat-treated, they completely lose their allergenic properties and are suitable for human consumption.
How to protect yourself at home during allergy season
During the flowering season, it is important for allergy sufferers to take precautions not only on the street, where the direct source of the allergy is located, but also at home, where this allergen can get.
— Pollen can get home on clothes, through open windows and panes. Therefore, allergologists advise patients with hay fever to change clothes, rinse their face, and rinse their nose and eyes after returning home. It is not recommended to dry clothes outside. Patients should ventilate the room with an air conditioner equipped with special filters. You can also resort to the old method: install nets or gauze on the windows and moisten them with water," explains a resident of Vologda.
Allergist Ten Myung-soo also draws attention to the need for daily cleaning activities.
— During the flowering season, it is necessary to carry out daily wet cleaning, use vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters (HEPA-12 and higher), maintain an optimal humidity level in the room (about 50% and at least 40%) using a humidifier. It is advisable and effective to use an air purifier, it should be used around the clock," the expert recommends.
How to protect yourself outdoors and outdoors during allergy season
Every time an allergy sufferer goes outside, it becomes a challenge. Experts also gave advice on how to minimize the risks and alleviate the consequences of being in open spaces.
— To comfortably coexist with pollen on the street, it is enough to use daily therapy prescribed by a doctor and adhere to certain rules: keep track of pollen monitoring, try to avoid places with large concentrations of pollen: gardens, parks, forests. It also makes sense to use nose filters and sunglasses," recommends allergist Ten Myung-soo.
Separately, experts warn nature lovers with hay fever.
— To spend time safely in nature, you must always have medications with you to control your symptoms. As a rule, occasional antihistamines are sufficient, but they can only be an addition to the main therapy. If you have bronchial asthma, it is strongly recommended to take a basic therapy drug with you (the one that you use every day during the flowering season). It's usually an anti—inflammatory drug in combination with a bronchodilator," warns Ten Myung-soo.
An allergist from Vologda warns that physical education and outdoor sports increase the risk of allergic attacks. During physical exertion, the amount of air passing through the respiratory tract increases significantly. At the same time, the amount of pollen increases with the air, which interacts with the mucous membrane of these respiratory tract.
What non-medicinal methods of getting rid of allergies are there?
The citizen of Vologda described the main non-medicinal devices and methods of getting rid of pollinosis: for example, there are microrespirators or filters for the nose. These are compact devices that allergy sufferers insert into their nostrils to protect themselves from pollen, dust, and allergens. They provide filtering while remaining virtually invisible. At the same time, the expert notes that using them can still be quite uncomfortable and inconvenient.
The citizen of Vologda also cites as an alternative special barrier agents — nasal sprays that create a film on the nasal mucosa that prevents contact with pollen. Upon returning home, the patient rinses his nose, washing off the allergens along with the film.
Allergist Ten Myung-soo emphasizes that it is impossible to completely get rid of allergies to blooms without resorting to medical intervention.
— Modern medicine can offer a wide range of therapeutic options, including symptomatic treatment and partial/complete elimination of the disease (allergen-specific immunotherapy. — ASIT). The rest of the methods do not have a high safety profile and proven effectiveness in the treatment of allergy to flowering," sums up Ten Myung-soo.
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