FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) –Feeling like you might be coming down with a cold? You’ve got a scratchy nose and throat, watery eyes, and you’re sneezing?

Is asthma flaring up this week? Yep, it could be allergies.

Heather Willison, a nurse practitioner at Parkview Allergy Asthma  Immunology with Parkview Physicians Group, says ragweed is primarily to blame and this is nothing unusual.

‘Round about the middle of August is when allergy season kicks in and ragweed counts have been elevated this week. This is partly due to cooler evenings and warmer temps during the day so pollen is being released, Willison said Wednesday during an interview at her office.

Ragweed pollen can travel for hundreds and hundreds of miles although it’s not a bad idea to remove it if it grows up in your yard.

And it doesn’t go away until the hard frost, predicted to come around Thanksgiving, she said.

Over-the-counter remedies are plentiful, Willison said. They include antihistamines, nasal steroids, and nasal antihistamines, many recognizable brand names.

Willison says there’s no need to go to the hospital unless the symptoms become severe. Allergy season is getting longer, due to climate change. It begins in March rather than April.

However, ragweed always starts in mid-August. It’s the hard frost that can come later in November.