CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZZM) -- If you're coughing, sneezing, and weezing this fall you're not alone.  This year is on target to be a terrible one for allergies.

Dr. Karyn Gell says a dry, warm, windy season is causing allergies to take off.  "Early season stress on plants will allow the plant to produce more pollen."

The two culprits making people sick are mold spores, and rag weed which is often confused with golden rod.

"That ugly green plant that's growing on roadside and farm fields will blow for miles. It pollinates through the wind. It's whole goal is to get into the wind and land on another plant for procreation," says Dr. Gell.

Exposing your children during pregnancy and in the first year of life will reduce allergies.  If you already have allergies, reach for over the counter help like Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, or nasal irrigators to clean out the mucus.

For severe allergies, immunotherapy injections can help.