Today's barometric pressure in Cedar Rapids, a 48-hour pressure chart, and a risk score for weather-triggered migraine and headache, based on pressure drops, humidity, and temperature changes.
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Cedar Rapids sits on the Cedar River in eastern Iowa at 247 metres, surrounded by open farmland in every direction. Pressure averages 987 hPa, and with no terrain to obstruct them, fronts cross the area quickly and completely.
Worst season for migraines: February, December and March. Late winter carries the steepest changes, when the temperature contrast between Arctic and Gulf air masses reaches its annual maximum. Spring shifts the pattern toward severe convection as that same contrast begins fuelling storms rather than just fronts.
Common triggers in Cedar Rapids: Colorado low tracks crossing the state, summer derecho pressure jumps, maximum Arctic-Gulf air mass contrast. Eastern Iowa lies in the corridor where Colorado lows track northeast toward the Great Lakes, and those systems produce the region's largest barometric changes. Derechos, long-lived straight-line windstorms, occasionally cross the state in summer, bringing pressure jumps as violent as anything winter delivers. The 2020 event centred on this city remains the most damaging on record.
Typical pressure: Cedar Rapids averages 987 hPa at rest, measured at the city's own elevation rather than corrected to sea level, and storm systems can push readings down to 970 hPa. Swings of 6-14 hPa over 24 hours are common during active weather and fall within the range most associated with pressure-triggered migraines.
2026 index: Cedar Rapids is not one of the 100 metros ranked in our 2026 U.S. Migraine Risk Index, which shows how they compare.
Can Cedar Rapids weather trigger migraines?
Yes. Cedar Rapids experiences 6-14 hPa barometric pressure swings, and research shows pressure drops are one of the most common migraine triggers. The city's specific patterns include Colorado low tracks crossing the state, summer derecho pressure jumps, maximum Arctic-Gulf air mass contrast.
What time of year are migraines worst in Cedar Rapids?
In Cedar Rapids the most barometrically volatile stretch of the year falls in February, December and March. That is when weather is most likely to play a part, if weather is a trigger for you at all. See when migraine weather season starts across the U.S.
Is there a barometric pressure headache forecast for Cedar Rapids?
This page works as one. Many people call a headache that arrives with a weather change a barometric pressure headache, and this forecast tracks the pressure drops, humidity and temperature swings behind that idea. The score covers the next 24 hours in Cedar Rapids and the chart shows the next 48. It is built on migraine research, so treat it as a rough guide for other headaches. A sudden, severe headache needs urgent medical care, whatever the weather.
Your own forecast
This page shows the weather risk for everyone in Cedar Rapids. The MigrAid app learns yours. It saves the barometric pressure, humidity and temperature with every migraine you log, shows whether Cedar Rapids's swings really line up with your attacks, and alerts you when conditions match your own trigger history.