You don't need us to tell you that this winter has been completely, utterly, heinously awful. An endless dumping of snow and ice has made life terrible for most of the country (major side-eye to the Californians out there). The worst part? It's now almost April, and we're still shivering in our insulated tights.
Strike that — turns out the worst may be yet to come. As Time reports, this year's cold temperatures have delayed the inevitable flowering of trees and other plants. Under normal conditions, different plant species begin producing and releasing pollen at different times throughout spring based on their individual biological mechanisms. Experts predict that the late start to the warm weather this year will cause a sort of pile-up of pollinating plants, which will inevitably result in an abnormally large amount of sneezy stuff in the air all at once.
And, it's not just the pollen. All that snow has created some very soggy ground in many parts of the country, which will only get worse once the April showers start. This might lead to an increased amount of mold, which releases spores that can cause even more sneezing and asthma symptoms. Polar vortex: 209,438, America: 0. Better stock up on the Kleenex, y'all. (Time)