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It's ragweed season | wthr.com

Author

Mia Walsh

Updated on April 04, 2026

WTHR.com is the news leader for Indianapolis and Central Indiana. Get the best news, weather, sports and traffic information from Channel 13.

Lynda Moore/Health Reporter

Indianapolis, Aug. 18 - Nearly 36 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies or hay fever. Right now the biggest culprit is ragweed.

It has found a home in Indiana along roadsides, fields, and vacant lots.

Pollen from ragweed becomes airborne, causing some miserable symptoms.

Sally Bozzuto says that she experiences "the itchy eyes, and then sometimes the sneezing. I got put on prescription eye drops for a while."

Dylan Hostetter likes the outdoors, but he's allergic to ragweed. "I get a really, really runny nose. I start sneezing just over and over and over again. Kind of ceaseless sneezing. And I get the itchy throat. My eyes get puffy."

Here are some tips for allergy relief:

Keep windows closed at night to prevent pollen from drifting into your home

Use air conditioning, which cleans, cools and dries the air

Limit outdoor activity when pollen counts are high, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Keep your car windows closed when traveling

Take a shower after spending time outside, pollen can collect on your hair and skin

If you have allergies they may not ease up anytime soon. Ragweed pollen could make you sneeze through October.