It’s a beautiful time of year, but amid the warbling of the birds and the warm caresses of spring winds on your face, there’s a good chance you’ll hear the honking of people near you blowing their noses. Why? It’s allergy season. And this year could be worse than most. This comes from an ABC News report:

This is the time of year when allergy sufferers are hit the hardest, but scientists insist this year is special.

“The pollen this year is out in full force,” said Amanda Campbell, a botanist at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. “And a couple of reasons for that … [are that] there was a very cold long winter … [a] relatively wet year last year, very wet winter in many parts of the country and now we have a compressed bloom season.”

So, enjoy the spring as much as you can and make sure you have a tissue nearby. Here are some more tips to help survive allergy season.