The Weather section at Common cold make the following points The traditional folk theory is that a cold can be caught by prolonged exposure to cold weather The role of body cooling as a risk factor for the common cold is controversial Some of the viruses that cause the common colds are seasonal  Some believe this to be due to increased time spent indoors in proximity it may also be related to changes in the respiratory system that result in greater susceptibility  Low humidity increases viral transmission rates potentially due to dry air allowing small viral droplets to disperse farther and stay in the air longer The only relevant point to our inclusion here as I see it is the second point The abstract of reference  reads There is a constant increase in hospitalizations and mortality during winter months cardiovascular diseases as well as respiratory infections are responsible for a large proportion of this added morbidity and mortality Exposure to cold has often been associated with increased incidence and severity of respiratory tract infections The data available suggest that exposure to cold either through exposure to low environmental temperatures or during induced hypothermia increases the risk of developing upper and lower respiratory tract infections and dying from them in addition the longer the duration of exposure the higher the risk of infection Although not all studies agree most of the available evidence from laboratory and clinical studies suggests that inhaled cold air cooling of the body surface and cold stress induced by lowering the core body temperature cause pathophysiological responses such as vasoconstriction in the respiratory tract mucosa and suppression of immune responses which are responsible for increased susceptibility to infections The general public and public health authorities should therefore keep this in mind and take appropriate measures to prevent increases in morbidity and mortality during winter due to respiratory infections Is this article talking about the common cold at all It is published in The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease