Best apps for tracking the pollen count and seasonal allergies

Allergy Alert offers pollen count data and information on irritants circulating in the area air. Credit: IQVIA
Be careful what you wish for. When four nor’easters pounded Long Island in March, spring couldn’t arrive soon enough. But now that the snow is gone, a blizzard of pollen is arriving. If you have allergies, these apps are nothing to sneeze at.
WebMD Allergy
(iOS, Android; free)
This offering from the popular WebMD website gives you continually updated allergy reports along with informative articles, videos and tips. You can keep a journal of your symptoms — for example, the times of day when your allergies seem to flare up. This allergy tracker can be shared with your doctor or pharmacist to get better diagnosis and treatment.
Zyrtec AllergyCast
(iOS, Android; free)
This app comes from the makers of the allergy drug Zyrtec, but it’s not just a commercial for the brand. In addition to the pollen count, AllergyCast offers what it calls an “allergy impact,” which crunches data and social media to see how others near you are feeling. You can set up alerts to get notified on days the pollen is uncomfortably high. Several iPhone users have complained that the app’s pollen forecast is not updating, but it worked fine when we tried it out.
Drugs.com Medication Guide
(iOS, Android; free)
To combat the misery of watery eyes, runny noses and a cacophony of sneezes, you may be taking a prescription or over-the-counter allergy medication. But you may not realize that these seemingly innocent drugs can interact with other common drugs you may be taking. This excellent medication guide from health information website drugs.com can help you avoid making a bad situation worse.
Allergy Alert
(iOS, Android; free)
The best-designed app of the four reviewed here, Allergy Alert has data on overall pollen counts as well as breakdowns on the top irritants circulating in the air in the area. Travelers can set up allergy reports for multiple locations, so you can get an idea of what you’ll be in for when you get off the plane. You can keep an allergy journal that can be formatted as a chart or calendar.
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