The Peach State may have a reputation for warm weather, but the 2024-2025 Georgia winter has featured more than its fair share of snow. Flakes began falling in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon, dredging up memories of one of the city’s most infamous chapters: Snowpocalypse.
Georgia doesn’t get a lot of snow. The most Atlanta has ever seen in an entire year is 10½ inches and that was back in 1936. Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, marked Snowpocalypse — the day when just over 2 inches of snow brought the state capital to a screeching halt.
Atlanta’s major roadways came to a standstill within minutes. Drivers shivered through the night, their cars stuck in the streets hour after hour. One passenger even gave birth right on Interstate 285.
Now Georgia is seeing snow again — up to 9 inches in some areas — and the unusually cold weather could come with subtle, yet significant, health risks.
Cold weather increases heart attack risks
According to the American Heart Association, cold weather can burden the cardiovascular system in a major way.
When the air temperature drops, blood vessels restrict to retain as much body heat as possible. Blood will consequently move away from certain areas to gather around vital organs instead. This is why fingers and toes can get so cold during wintry weather.
The change in blood pressure, the association reported, can increase a person’s risk of suffering a heart attack. Recent studies have found evidence that cold snaps can be bad for heart health too.
A nationwide 2024 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology tracked 120,380 Swedish individuals, discovering that short-term exposure to lower air temperatures was associated with a greater risk of heart attack-related hospital admission.
Cold air can irritate the lungs
According to the American Lung Association, cold air can seriously irritate the lungs. The drop in temperatures can dry out the air, which can cause wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Mayo Clinic Health System pulmonologist Dr. Aryan Shiari broke it down best.
“Our bodies are very well-designed to adapt to cold air coming in. There are many mechanisms that allow for warming and humidification of the air before it actually hits your lungs, where a gas exchange happens,” he explained to Mayo Clinic senior communications specialist Deb Balzer. “What happens is that cold air is generally drier, and your body works to humidify this. In that process, it can cause irritation to the airways, which results in a process called bronchospasm, where those airways narrow and tighten, and you get that feeling of shortness of breath.”
How winter can wilt the brain
The brain is quite effective at maintaining its 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) sweet spot, but a drop in temperature could mean disaster. By dropping the body’s core temperature just 5.4% — roughly 5.3 degrees Fahrenheit or 2 degrees Celsius — hypothermia kicks in.
It’s not your average brain freeze.
Neeraj Lal, a Scripps Research Institute neuroscientist, spoke with The Scientist on how cold temperatures affect the brain. Following a drop in body temperature due to long-term exposure, the head’s blood-brain barrier begins to weaken, he explained. The expanding holes in the barrier allow toxins to flow into the brain, causing major dysfunction.
If it gets cold enough, the brain will slowly shut down — neuron by neuron.
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