WASHINGTON — If your days and afternoons are filled with sniffles and sneezes, pollen might be the culprit. Ragweed season is ramping up in the D.C. area, and current pollen readings are high. Allergy experts like Susan Kosisky at the U.S. Army Centralized Allergen Extract Labratory are spotting the trend.

"Ragweed and nettle are the predominant allergenic weed offenders currently. Predominant area ragweed species produce a ton of pollen over the course of a season, wreaking havoc for allergy sufferers," Kosisky said.

Ragweed season typically runs from the end of summer through early fall. Kosisky said ragweed pollen counts really started to climb in the third week of August, with more on the way. The first week of September is typically when ragweed peaks in the D.C. area.

"Plants will

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