Move over, pollen vortex — the "pollen tsunami" is here. A ferocious winter, delayed spring and even the beginnings of climate change have created a pollen tsunami that is slamming allergy sufferers in the Northeast, according to one expert. Winter snow and rains fed tree root systems and triggered a "robust response," according to Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York. Oak and birch trees, the "big bad" pollen makers, are coming out at the same time as the seasonal ones like poplar, alder and ash. Not far behind will be the arrival of grass pollens, generating a "triple whammy" of pollen irritating susceptible sinuses, Bassett said.

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