Apr 22, 2014 10:47 AM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The polar vortex may be over for now, but this year experts say it has given way to the "pollen vortex."

According to NBC News, the long, cold winter will lead the way for an extra harsh allergy season, although it could possibly be shorter. People with pollen, grass and tree allergies are expected to have it the worst.

"It will be a shorter period by a number of weeks but you will see it all hitting very intensely," Dr. David Shulan, a fellow with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, told NBC News. "In the past we've seen maple pollen as early as late February, but with this cold weather nothing was pollinating until mid to late April."

Dr. Lolita McDavid, a pediatrician at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, said grass and tree allergy sufferers can expect the worst.

"People who may have both tree allergies and grass allergies are probably going be doubly impacted, because both of those things are going to be blooming at the same time," she told LiveScience.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says eight percent of U.S. adults have seasonal allergies. Symptoms for pollen, tree, grass and other seasonal allergies can include watery eyes, stuffy or runny nose, itchiness, sneezing and wheezing.

"The allergy seasons seem to be getting intense in the last few years. We are not quite sure why," McDavid said. "We don't know if it's the climate change. It may be."

She said the best thing a person with a pollen allergy can do is wash their hair before bed.

"If you have pollen on your hair and you're sleeping on a pillow, you're basically putting your face back down in the pollen," McDavid said.

USA Today listed several practices for this allergy season, such as watching pollen counts, keeping windows closed, trying nasal sprays and using eye drops. In addition, James Li, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology president, said medications are available for patients with particularly difficult allergies.

"There's individual variability in response to medication," he told USA Today. "You can try several until you find the best fit."

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