Minnesota’s mild winter means that allergy season is underway, with a higher amount of pollen already circulating.

“It’s definitely a lot worse this year than it’s been in recent years,” said Liela Fuller from Plymouth. “… I think it’s because of our winter. We didn’t really have one this year.”

Nicole Dray, a nurse practitioner with MinuteClinic in Edina, says she has seen lots of early cases so far.

“I have seen people come in with itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, scratchy throat,” she said.

She says some patients need help determining the difference between a virus and allergies because the symptoms are similar. She also says the most common question from patients is whether or not they have allergies at all.

“Some people don’t know they can develop allergies over time. It comes as a bit of a surprise if they didn’t have allergies before, but as an adult, they start experiencing these symptoms,” Dray said.

RELATED: Trees budding sooner due to warm weather bringing on early start to spring allergies

Tree pollen typically peaks in Minnesota from April through June, while grass pollen typically begins in May.