Allergy sufferers beware: B.C. to see intense pollen season [Video]

Get your tissues and allergy medicines ready if you live in southwestern British Columbia, where an expert predicts an intense pollen season is on the way.

Cold weather had held the pollen count at bay until recently, but an Ontario-based lab that monitors airborne pollen levels with a network of 30 stations across Canada said its latest report shows Vancouver, Burnaby and Victoria will all experience a significant spike in pollen starting this weekend and in the weeks ahead.

Daniel Coates, the director of Ottawa-based Aerobiology Research Laboratories, said he’s confident with the forecast.

Colder temperatures have delayed the start of pollen season in southwestern B.C., which can start as soon as late January, Coates said.

“Because it’s getting warmer, we’re going to see quite high levels of cedar this weekend, which is stereotypically the start of the pollen season,” said Coates.

It’s the warmth that triggers a “rapid increase” in airborne allergens.

Unlike other provinces, …