JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Elisha Simmons' children technically don't have allergies, but as they enjoyed a spring afternoon in the sun Thursday, Simmons noticed they had symptoms stirred up by pollen.
"A little extra runny noses here and there, but luckily nothing too serious," she said.
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Experts said this season can cause sickness and started earlier this year because the warmer winter caused plants to release pollen sooner than usual.
It has increased the affect on people's health and the number of cars that need washing.
"It's more on the car than it is in the air to me. It's not really affecting me," said Jessica Thomas, whose car was covered by the yellow specks.
According to Pollen.com, Thursday was an allergy alert day in northeast Florida. The recorded pollen level was 10.3, which is considered high. The scale maxes out at 12.
Doctors say the amount of pollen people can see doesn't even come close to the amount of microscopic particles they're breathing in.
"The more I see under here, the more people I can count on coming in and calling with increased symptoms of their nose, eyes, throat, lungs and even sometimes the skin," allergy specialist Dr. Jesse McRae said.
McRae calls this a record year, saying the tree pollen count is off the charts.
Even those who think they're immune to the symptoms pollen causes, McRae says think again.
"It can cause people respiratory symptoms even if they have no allergies to it, because there's so much particulate matter in the air that it can cause respiratory symptoms even without a true allergy," McRae said.
The pollen forecast is expected to be high for at least the rest of the week.