Cold and Flu

Is Cold Weather Actually to Blame For Your Cold?

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A woman walks over an ice-encrusted bridge in Yakutsk. Oymyakon lies a two day drive from the city of Yakutsk, the regional capital. (Amos Chapple)

Mom always said not to go outside in winter without a jacket or you'll catch a cold. If she was right, then you definitely wouldn't want to head outside in Oymyakon, Russia, the coldest city in the world where winter temperatures average minus 50 C (minus 58 F).

(MORE: This Is Why Your Cold Isn't Going Away)

While mom's advice seems in line with logic -- after all, cold and flu season coincides with the coldest months of the year -- cold weather doesn't actually cause the illness to spread. But some of the circumstances that arise because of cold weather certainly help its propogation.

Per Smithsonianmag.com, one reason the cold and flu spreads more in winter months is the simple fact that the cold weather causes people to spend more time in close proximity with one another -- especially in schools and in the home.

Another reason has to do with body temperature. The Los Angeles Times reported that rhinoviruses, the most common cause of colds, breed better when the body is just below it's 98.6 degree Fahrenheit temperature. Yale University researchers published an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that in a human body at 91 degrees Fahrenheit, the virus can reproduce in a "robust" fashion because the cells that would normally fight off viruses failed to notice their presence and in turn failed to combat it.

(MORE: You've Been Warned: The Absolute Germiest Public Places)

In addition to all of this, cold air also helps moisture evaporate from coughs and sneezes, which allows the core of the virus to stay in the air longer. Pair that with lowered body temperatures and people congregated together in groups and you've got the perfect recipe of the spread of cold and flu.

So going outside without your jacket and scarf may not be the direct cause of winter illness, but it certainly has a role to play, however indirect. As for the residents of Oymyakon, they have their own way of dealing with the frigid temperatures. Photographer Amos Chapple told weather.com after visiting the city that their defense is simple: “Russki chai, literally Russian tea, which is their word for vodka."