Today's barometric pressure in Salt Lake City, 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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Salt Lake City's 4,226-foot elevation and mountain-valley geography create unique pressure patterns. The Great Salt Lake generates its own lake-effect snow, and inversions trap pollution in the valley during winter, adding air quality triggers to pressure changes.
Worst season for migraines: October through April. Salt Lake City's Wasatch Front position creates intense orographic storms that drop pressure rapidly as Pacific systems collide with the 11,000-foot mountains directly east of downtown. Winter inversions trap cold, polluted air in the valley for weeks at a time.
Common triggers in Salt Lake City: Wasatch Mountain orographic storm development, winter temperature inversions trapping PM2.5 pollution, lake-effect snow squalls from the Great Salt Lake. Salt Lake City sits at 4,300 feet in a narrow valley between the Wasatch Range to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west. The Great Salt Lake to the northwest generates lake-effect snow bands, and the valley geography creates some of the worst winter inversions in the US, trapping polluted air below mountain level for days or weeks. Residents who ski in the nearby mountains experience 5,000+ feet of elevation change and corresponding pressure shifts in under an hour.
Typical pressure: Salt Lake City averages 871 hPa at rest, measured at the city's own elevation rather than corrected to sea level, and storm systems can push readings down to 858 hPa. Swings of 5-11 hPa over 24 hours are common during active weather and fall within the range most associated with pressure-triggered migraines.
2026 index: Salt Lake City ranks #9 of 100 in our 2026 U.S. Migraine Risk Index, where #1 is the most challenging city for weather-driven migraine.
Can Salt Lake City weather trigger migraines?
Yes. Salt Lake City experiences 5-11 hPa barometric pressure swings, and research shows pressure drops are one of the most common migraine triggers. The city's specific patterns include Wasatch Mountain orographic storm development, winter temperature inversions trapping PM2.5 pollution, lake-effect snow squalls from the Great Salt Lake.
What time of year are migraines worst in Salt Lake City?
In Salt Lake City the most barometrically volatile stretch of the year falls in October through April. 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 Salt Lake City?
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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City. The MigrAid app learns yours. It saves the barometric pressure, humidity and temperature with every migraine you log, shows whether Salt Lake City's swings really line up with your attacks, and alerts you when conditions match your own trigger history.