Today's barometric pressure in Columbia, 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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Columbia sits in the Sandhills where the Piedmont meets the coastal plain, and it is consistently one of the hottest cities in the Southeast. Pressure averages 1007 hPa, with the summer heat load doing more trigger work than the modest barometric range suggests.
Worst season for migraines: January through March. Frontal passages concentrate in the first three months of the year. Summer brings the opposite: a stable, stagnant pattern where the barometer barely moves while heat and humidity build for weeks.
Common triggers in Columbia: inland heat without sea breeze relief, colliding sea breeze fronts from both coasts, extended stagnant summer high pressure. Sitting well inland, Columbia misses the sea breeze that cools the coast each afternoon, which is why it regularly runs several degrees hotter than Charleston. Heat index readings above 40C are routine through midsummer. Afternoon thunderstorms that do form are often triggered by colliding sea breeze fronts arriving from both the Atlantic and the Gulf, hours after they left the coast.
Typical pressure: Columbia averages 1007 hPa at rest, measured at the city's own elevation rather than corrected to sea level, and storm systems can push readings down to 995 hPa. Swings of 5-10 hPa over 24 hours are common during active weather and fall within the range most associated with pressure-triggered migraines.
2026 index: Columbia is not one of the 100 metros ranked in our 2026 U.S. Migraine Risk Index, which shows how they compare.
Can Columbia weather trigger migraines?
Yes. Columbia experiences 5-10 hPa barometric pressure swings, and research shows pressure drops are one of the most common migraine triggers. The city's specific patterns include inland heat without sea breeze relief, colliding sea breeze fronts from both coasts, extended stagnant summer high pressure.
What time of year are migraines worst in Columbia?
In Columbia the most barometrically volatile stretch of the year falls in January through 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 Columbia?
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 Columbia 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 Columbia. The MigrAid app learns yours. It saves the barometric pressure, humidity and temperature with every migraine you log, shows whether Columbia's swings really line up with your attacks, and alerts you when conditions match your own trigger history.