Columbia, S.C. ? A yellow haze of pollen descended on the Southeast in the past week, coating cars and porch furniture and making people miserable in one of the worst allergy seasons in years.

A duck swims through pollen coating the surface of a lake at Atlanta's Piedmont Park. The pollen count hit 5,499 particles per cubic meter of air on Monday in Atlanta, the highest it's been so far this season.

Doctors are telling people with stuffed-up noses and itchy, watery eyes to spend more time indoors if they can.

“Everybody who walks through the door, you can see it in their faces,” said Atlanta pharmacy owner Ira Katz, who is running low on medication to treat what he said is the worst allergy season of his 26 years in the business.

Atlanta’s pollen count hit 5,499 particles per cubic meter of air Monday, the highest so far this season and the fourth highest in the 12 years that the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic has been keeping records. In South Carolina, the pollen count hit 4,862, according to the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville.

A reading of 120 is extremely high for the Southeast.

A lack of rain is blamed for the high pollen count. Rain scrubs pollen from the air.

The yellow dust – which is coming mostly from pine trees – is proving to be a gold mine for car washes, even though some are offering free repeat washes for cars that get covered again within 48 hours.

Atlanta has had only four rainy days this month. Most of Columbia’s rain came during the first part of the month, before the pollen arrived.

Relief might be days away. There is no rain in Atlanta’s forecast for at least a week.

Experts recommended allergy sufferers keep their outdoor activities to a minimum in the early morning, when pollen is at its worst. Dr. Lisa Hutto, an allergy specialist, said wearing a mask when doing yard work and changing clothes and showering right away after coming inside can also help. And though it may be tempting, Hutto said people should not hose off porches or cars.

“Washing the pollen off could cause it to become airborne, and you could have more exposure,” she said.