Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Under pressure: Does the weather give you a headache?

08:00
3 May 2023

Under pressure
Does the weather give you a headache?

headache

Is the weather giving you a headache? If so, you aren't alone.

Forecasting the weather can cause all kinds of headaches, but how about the weather itself? If you suffer from what seems like a random onset of headaches, it could be down to a change in the weather.

According to the NHS, "Pressure changes that cause weather changes are thought to trigger chemical and electrical changes in the brain. This irritates nerves, leading to a headache."

This is because the air around you has a weight. In a high pressure system, air is more dense and sinks. As a result, higher pressure means a greater weight exerted down onto the surface of the Earth.

Headaches can be brought on by a change in the pressure, not just high pressure. When the pressure changes, it creates a difference between the outside air, and your sinuses and ears, which can result in pain. This is also what happens when you are inside a plane.

It's not just barometric pressure changes that can cause headaches, but also a change in winds for example, which can stir up allergens in the air and aggravate your sinuses. Seasonal changes too, due to pollen, may also trigger this.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Europe’s seas are unusually warm. Up to 30 degrees. . . Friday, 31 July 2026
Friday, 31 July 2026

Up to 30 degrees

Europe’s seas are unusually warm
Icy spells in the Southern Hemisphere. Snow in the Andes. . . Tuesday, 28 July 2026
A composite image showing a temperature radar map of South America and a snow-covered town in Chile. The winter cold is bringing heavy snowfall to the Andes and, in some areas, snow down to lower altitudes.
Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Snow in the Andes

Icy spells in the Southern Hemisphere
June records rise after verification. Multiple new highs. . . Thursday, 30 July 2026
Temperature map of the UK and Ireland highlighting verified June temperature records, with 38°C in England, 35.1°C in Wales, and 30.8°C in Ireland. A large thermometer icon emphasizes record-breaking June heat across the UK.
Thursday, 30 July 2026

Multiple new highs

June records rise after verification
All weather news
This might also interest you
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . . Wednesday, 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Wednesday, 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList