A warm, wet spring is my worst nightmare because my allergies start acting up. My eyes can get so red and puffy that I look like I’ve been crying for days. That’s why I was intrigued to read about the Asthma and Allergy Foundation’s 2011 list of the top five worst cities for springtime allergies. The news for me: I don’t live in one of them.

The rankings are based on scientific analysis of pollen scores, the number of allergy medications used per patient and the number of allergy specialists per patient in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas.

The top five are:

1. Knoxville, TN

2. Louisville, KY

3. Charlotte, NC

4. Jackson, MS

5. Chattanooga, TN

The foundation says Knoxville earned this dubious honor because of it’s higher-than average use of allergy medications and its pollen count, but the city has been within the top 10 on the report for six of the last nine years.

If you’re allergic, you’re probably trying to stay indoors as much as possible during this time of year, but the foundation says that’s not necessarily the best way to stop sniffling because the air inside can be even worse. To keep indoor air clean, follow these tips from the foundation.

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