PlainHazard

Cold/Wind Chill

NOAA Storm Events type · 19,133 records since 1996 · 50 states and territories

The National Weather Service defines cold/wind chill as: "Period of low temperatures or wind chill temperatures reaching or exceeding locally/regionally defined advisory (typical value is -18°F or colder) conditions." NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 19,133 cold/wind chill records from 1996 through June 30, 2026, the most in New York (1,280), with 773 deaths recorded.

How the National Weather Service files cold/wind chill

Period of low temperatures or wind chill temperatures reaching or exceeding locally/regionally defined advisory (typical value is -18°F or colder) conditions. If the event that occurred is considered significant, even though it affected a small area, it should be entered into Storm Data.
National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605, Storm Data Preparation (July 26, 2021), Appendix A, entry 5

Source: National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605. Read the instruction (PDF).

Cold/Wind Chill, 1996 to 2026

Records per year (2026 to June 30, 2026).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $10 million
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • $10 billion or more, or 1,000 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
19,1331996 to June 30, 2026
Deaths
773343 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$2.3Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Counties with a record
2,461of 3,266

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026. Search the record at NCEI.

Where do cold/wind chill records happen?

States

  1. New York 1,280
  2. Nebraska 1,118
  3. Minnesota 1,099
  4. Texas 1,083
  5. Wisconsin 1,012
  6. Iowa 991
  7. West Virginia 965
  8. Illinois 903
  9. North Dakota 641
  10. Michigan 608
  11. South Dakota 605
  12. New Jersey 565
  13. Maine 504
  14. Pennsylvania 495
  15. North Carolina 470

Counties

  1. Cook County, IL 109
  2. Herkimer County, NY 83
  3. Fulton County, NY 77
  4. Warren County, NY 76
  5. Berkshire County, MA 73
  6. Windham County, VT 69
  7. Rensselaer County, NY 67
  8. Ulster County, NY 65
  9. Washington County, NY 64
  10. Saratoga County, NY 63

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

When do cold/wind chill records happen?

71% of its cold/wind chill records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January.

The values, month by month

Jan 9,080 · Feb 4,575 · Mar 790 · Apr 448 · May 491 · Jun 237 · Jul 155 · Aug 79 · Sep 139 · Oct 340 · Nov 242 · Dec 2,557 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

The deadliest cold/wind chill records

The cold/wind chill records with the most deaths
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-02-12 Cold/Wind ChillHarris County, TX · forecast zone Inland Harris Very cold air and gusty winds overspread SE Texas behind an Arctic front with wind chill indices from near zero to single digits for much the period from Sunday night to Tuesday morning. Increased power demand, wind and ice led to widespread power outages. Bursting pipes caused many to be without water as well. 40 0 $37M
2021-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County, OH · forecast zone Cuyahoga The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Office determined that seven people in Cuyahoga County died from exposure during the first half of February due to the combination of cold weather and inadequate housing with proper heating. Temperatures during the first half of February were largely below freezing with many nights ... 7 0 –
2021-02-15 Cold/Wind ChillGalveston County, TX · forecast zone Inland Galveston Very cold air and gusty winds overspread SE Texas behind an Arctic front with wind chill indices from near zero to single digits for much the period from Sunday night to Tuesday morning. Increased power demand, wind and ice led to widespread power outages. Bursting pipes caused many to be without water as well. 6 0 $2.2M
2024-01-12 Cold/Wind ChillKing County, WA · forecast zone Seattle And Vicinity Here's an article excerpt taken from the Seattle Times 01/18/24. At least five people have died from hypothermia in Seattle since Jan. 11, during a stretch of days that saw temperatures plummet well below freezing, according to the King County medical examiner’s office. Authorities have not said whether any of them ... 5 0 –
2008-12-21 Cold/Wind ChillCook County, IL · forecast zone Cook Very cold air spread across northern Illinois starting on December 21st and continuing through December 25th. Low temperatures dropped to 5 below to 10 below zero on the 21st and 22nd, and were in the low single digits on the 23rd, 24th and 25th. Five people died due to cold exposure, two in Chicago, one in Des ... 5 0 –
1996-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillMilwaukee County, WI · forecast zone Milwaukee The episode of extreme cold, which started in late January, 1996, continued through the first four days of February across Southcentral and Southeast Wisconsin. Ending on the 4th, Milwaukee had a string of 73 hours below zero, while Madison registered 177 hours below the zero mark. Adding to the misery, wind chills ... 4 15 –
1997-01-10 Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County, OH · forecast zone Cuyahoga Low temperatures were in the single digits or below zero across all of Northern Ohio, causing frozen and ruptured water pipes. With wind chills of 40 to 50 below zero, many schools were forced to close. On the 19th, Possum Run (Richland County), just south of Mansfield, reported a temperature of minus 15 degrees. ... 4 0 $37K
1996-01-22 Cold/Wind ChillDallas County, TX · forecast zone Dallas Overnight temperatures fell into the mid to upper teens two consecutive nights and several homeless people were found frozen to death around the city. 4 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, deaths direct and indirect as filed.

The most recent cold/wind chill records

To June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-01 Cold/Wind ChillConcordia Parish, LA · forecast zone Concordia 0 0 –
2026-05-01 Cold/Wind ChillConcordia Parish, LA · forecast zone Concordia 0 0 –
2026-03-15 Cold/Wind ChillWest Carroll Parish, LA · forecast zone West Carroll 0 0 –
2026-02-22 Cold/Wind ChillMadison County, AL · forecast zone Madison 1 0 –
2026-02-17 Cold/Wind ChillPima County, AZ · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area 1 0 –
2026-02-08 Cold/Wind ChillLitchfield County, CT · forecast zone Southern Litchfield 0 0 –
2026-02-08 Cold/Wind ChillLitchfield County, CT · forecast zone Northern Litchfield 0 0 –
2026-02-08 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County, MA · forecast zone Southern Berkshire 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Next