You Won't Believe How Climate Change is Set to Make 2023 the Hottest Year on Record!

By Crystal Lindell

On a recent Wednesday in northern Illinois, I found myself not alone in suffering from a migraine; three others I know were also affected. My mother shared her experience of a sudden and intense pain in her hip joint, while I battled debilitating intercostal neuralgia that left me bedridden for much of the day. The following day, temperatures soared to a surprising 53 degrees Fahrenheit, an unusual spike for January, especially when many still had their Christmas lights illuminated. With the rain pouring down incessantly, the sudden change in weather felt almost foreboding. It seems our bodies were in sync with the atmospheric shifts.

In the 1800s, such days might have made us local meteorologists, able to predict weather changes accurately. However, in 2026, many people still fail to connect their pain flares to shifting weather patterns. Even within the medical community, there remains a tendency to dismiss the connection between weather and pain.

As someone living with chronic pain, the link between weather changes and physical discomfort is glaringly obvious. I can almost predict the onset of snowstorms down to the hour, and I’ve learned to schedule my rest days around fluctuations in temperature. When it’s bright and sunny, it sometimes feels like a miracle—I experience so little pain that I briefly entertain thoughts of a cure.

However, the reason for the recent 53-degree temperature spike in the heart of winter is likely tied to climate change. While warm fronts may occur independently, the extent of the warmth is intensified by global warming. This phenomenon has led to significant shifts in our climate, resulting in fluctuating weather patterns that many once considered rare.

A recent article by Inside Climate News notes that “global warming is bringing more heatwaves and an atmosphere that sucks up more moisture to feed storms.” These thermodynamic effects often correlate directly with increased pain levels. Chad Small, a Ph.D. student in Atmospheric and Climate Science at the University of Washington, points out specific instances like how “gout sufferers living in Arizona—which will continue to get hotter and drier as global temperatures increase—will likely experience worse pain due to more frequent and severe instances of dehydration driven by increasing temperatures and aridity.”

In 2023, The University of Pennsylvania published an article titled, “Why climate change might be affecting your headaches” in Penn Medicine News, highlighting that “rising global average temperature and extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent or more intense.” Experts suggest that the stress induced by these events can trigger headaches, amplifying the already challenging experiences for those with chronic pain.

Yet, society at large appears to be in denial about these connections. For instance, when weather changes occur, individuals suffering from migraines or other chronic conditions still do not receive additional support in terms of sick days or access to government assistance. The challenges brought about by weather-induced pain flares are compounded by restrictive regulations surrounding opioid pain medications, making relief harder to attain. Additionally, the social stigma surrounding chronic pain persists; friends and family aren’t necessarily more understanding, nor are individuals more forgiving of their own bodies during these episodes.

The ableism deeply rooted in American culture still expects individuals to “push through” pain and show up regardless of their physical discomfort. This societal pressure only intensifies during periods of increased pain flares, relegating sufferers to a silent struggle. Ironically, as climate change exacerbates pain, society's acceptance of that pain seems to wane. Perhaps this reflects a broader denial about the existence and impacts of climate change itself.

Unfortunately, it seems that climate change and its associated challenges are only expected to worsen, bringing with it an increase in pain for many. Acknowledging this reality requires a cultural shift, where we offer grace to both ourselves and others when pain manifests in our bodies. While we cannot control the weather, we can control how we choose to endure it.