My allergies hit me out of nowhere this past weekend.

It's like someone flipped a switch; Friday I was fine, and by Saturday my allergies were in full force.

And it wasn't just me; my wife and I visited our in-laws in Fergus Falls over the weekend, and both my wife and mother-in-law were sneezing up a storm, too!

A quick look at the allergen forecast for Central Minnesota explains why. Here's the forecast for Tuesday, August 27:

The highest allergen rate possible is a 12, so 8.8 is clearly pretty high; tomorrow's 9.4 will be even worse.

The top allergens in Central Minnesota air right now are:

Ragweed - Ragweed season runs early August through mid-October. The pollen can cause runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes.

Nettle - "Nettle is considered a moderate source of allergy, both in terms of skin tests and amount of exposure to the pollen in the air." (Pollen.com)

Chenophods - "The pollen of these families can be highly allergenic and is a cause of concern to allergic individuals." (Pollen.com)

Here's the five day allergen forecast:

With no rain expected, lots of sun and daytime highs in the low 70's will only amplify allergen levels, with Thursday expected to be the worst.

If you're prone to fall-time allergies, plan to take whatever allergy medication works best for you!