ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — As snowflakes continue to fall across Western New York, it might be hard to believe that spring allergy season is already here. Despite the cold temperatures, pollen levels are on the rise, and they’re already taking a toll on many residents.  “We typically see tre e pollen starting about now. A little bit of variation depending on the weather at that time. And then we have a couple of peaks, throughout the summer with the grasses and the weeds. And then we typically think about ragweed about mid August," said Dr. Emily Weis, an associate professor of adult and pediatric medicine and clinical director of allergy and immunology at the University of Rochester. As allergy season progresses, it's important to understand not only when pollen levels peak during the year, but also how they can vary throughout the day. Factors like temperature, humidity, and wind can all influence when pollen is released into the air.  “Things that we think about too, is that most things pollinate first thing in the morning. So, you might see some variation even within the day. So not even from day to day, but even within the same day for, for times that the pollen is out,” said Dr. Weis. As we move into the peak of allergy season, many people are finding it harder to distinguish between seasonal allergies and other common illnesses. With symptoms like headaches, fever, and chills, it’s important to know when to seek medical advice. “We are really backed right up to illness season right now. If you have a fever, chills, headache, those kinds of things too, because sometimes it's hard to really tease out between the two. But if you have a fever, chills more than typically what you would think about for your seasonal allergy symptoms,” Dr. Weis said. ...read more read less