--- title: Cold Temperatures May Impact Stroke Risk description: Colder weather linked to more deaths, but more research needed to understand connection canonical: https://time.com/7418/as-temperatures-dip-risk-of-stroke-rises/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-02-12T19:07:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:24:37.526Z article:section: Health og:title: Cold Temperatures May Impact Stroke Risk og:description: Colder weather linked to more deaths, but more research needed to understand connection og:url: https://time.com/7418/as-temperatures-dip-risk-of-stroke-rises/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfca674b3aa18320/698682733bc999856d1a2013/138986126-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Young woman about to cross the street in snow og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Cold Temperatures May Impact Stroke Risk twitter:description: Colder weather linked to more deaths, but more research needed to understand connection twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfca674b3aa18320/698682733bc999856d1a2013/138986126-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # As Temperatures Dip, Risk of Stroke Rises by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 12, 2014 7:07 PM UTC  Young woman about to cross the street in snow Young woman about to cross the street in snowJose Luis Pelaez—Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 12, 2014 7:07 PM UTC Changes in temperature may impact stroke risk, hospitalization, and even death from stroke, [new research says](http://newsroom.heart.org/news/weather-changes-may-be-linked-with-stroke-hospitalization-death). Major changes in temperature and humidity could be linked to more hospitalizations from stroke, researchers say. In their study, which was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in San Diego, the researchers also found that colder temperatures were linked to more hospital stroke deaths. With every 1°F increase in temperature, there was a 0.86% decrease in likelihood of being admitted to a hospital for a stroke, and a 1.1% decrease in dying from a stroke. To come up with these findings, the researchers look at more than 134,500 people sent to hospitals between 2009 and 2010 for a stroke. They then compared the stroke cases and outcomes to temperature data for that time period. The mechanics behind the trend are not fully understood, but in an [interview with the Associated Press](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/stroke-risk-tied-cold-humidity-weather-swings), researchers said that our blood vessels constrict in cold weather and this can raise blood pressure and add stress to the body, which makes blood more likely to clot. High humidity can also cause dehydration, which leads to an increased risk for clotting and stress. More research is needed to confirm the findings, but the researchers say that the people at risk for stroke may want to protect themselves from exposure to massive changes in temperature and humidity. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7418/as-temperatures-dip-risk-of-stroke-rises/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7418/as-temperatures-dip-risk-of-stroke-rises/"},"headline":"As Temperatures Dip, Risk of Stroke Rises","datePublished":"2014-02-12T19:07:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:24:37.526Z","description":"Colder weather linked to more deaths, but more research needed to understand connection","url":"https://time.com/7418/as-temperatures-dip-risk-of-stroke-rises/","keywords":["Heart Disease","weather","Stroke"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfca674b3aa18320/698682733bc999856d1a2013/138986126-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfca674b3aa18320/698682733bc999856d1a2013/138986126-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Young woman about to cross the street in snow","caption":"Young woman about to cross the street in snow","creditText":"Jose Luis Pelaez—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/heart-disease/","name":"Heart Disease"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7418/as-temperatures-dip-risk-of-stroke-rises/","name":"As Temperatures Dip, Risk of Stroke Rises"}}]}] ```