Allergies:Seaside vs Salinas (San Jose, Monterey: home, live in, mold)

[toto1239]

Hello.

I currently live in Seaside and been here for two years. I got seasonal allergies (never had allergies before moving to here. I lived in San Jose.) and still have allergies (this has been 1 year and 2 months, I am very surprised and first time to struggle with this). My main allergy is stuffy nose, no other allergies.

I am wondering if moving to Salinas helps my stuffy nose go away and get better since Salinas is warmer and less windy (if I am correct). I prefer Seaside, but having a hard time to sleep with this allergy (stuffy nose) drives me very crazy and can consider if it helps.

I would appreciate very much if you have any suggestions on this topic.

Thank you very much.

[Transitory]

What is it that you are allergic to? Most allergens are dispersed on the coast by the wind off of the ocean since there isn't that much dust/ozone/pollen/etc over the water. In fact, our seasonal seabreeze (which has been sadly absent these past few days with all the smoke trapped in an inversion layer) tends to give us some of the best air quality in the state.

As far as Salinas, despite it being inland it shares the same coastal climate and weather patterns you'd find in the peninsula albeit 5-10 degrees warmer due to earlier low cloud burnoff. The winds are usually not as strong as directly on the ocean still there since there is little elevation between Salinas and the coast to block winds.

If you think wind is truly the problem, you'll find Corral De Tierra, Carmel Valley, or parts of Prunedale are more sheltered from the seabreeze. There is much more vegetation and pollen there, however. The Salinas Valley itself gets very windy the farther you go south (Gonzales and onward)

[MtnSurfer]

Monterey has many micro climates. As Transitory mentioned wind can be a problem blowing allergens around. This can even be worse inland near farm fields with more pollen, pesticides, etc... The nice thing with the coast is the onshore winds blow most allergens inland. So its hard to say what specifically may be causing the issues in Seaside. It could related other things near your home like mold issues, etc... I would recommend getting tested for allergies to see more specifically what the problem may be.

Derek