ROANOKE, Va. – Thursday and Friday's forecast calls for heavy rain, possible flooding and gusty winds for a large portion of our area. One impact we don't talk about very often, though, is how these systems affect our body.
Low pressure systems are oftentimes the weather systems that bring us rain, thunderstorms, snow, sleet, etc. That's exactly what's going on Thursday and Friday (except we mainly see rain this time around).
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A one-two punch of low pressure systems will be moving over the region.
When the air pressure lowers, fluids in our joints expand. This can cause discomfort, and can also bring up migraines to those who suffer more regularly than others.
For instance, my older brother gets wicked migraines. When Hurricane Irene moved toward North Carolina in 2011, he was miserable. That was thanks to the quick drop in air pressure.
The average (or mean) air pressure at sea level is 1013.25 mb (millibars). You can see then how Friday's pressure is significantly lower, coming in anywhere from 985-990 mb. This could very well cause some pain and/or discomfort for those that deal with chronic pain due to arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.
If there are ever any questions you have about the weather or how it works, feel free to write me on Facebook or via email at cmichaels@wsls.com.