California extreme cold
Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 58 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,815 extreme cold records in California from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 65 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the November 28, 2019 cold/wind chill in Santa Clara County: 5 deaths across 3 records. California ranks 11th of 51 states and territories by count and 31st of 50 per square mile.
Extreme cold in California, 1996 to 2026
Cold records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,8151996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 65average
- Deaths
- 6436 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $3.7Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2022127 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are extreme cold records common in California?
California averages about 65 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 11th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (127). Per 10,000 square miles of land, California records 116 extreme cold records since 1996, 31st of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in California have the most extreme cold records?
Per square mile, Kings County leads California: 189 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 135.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Fresno County has the most cold records (533 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the cold season in California?
California's extreme cold records by month. The busiest month is December (397 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 303 · Feb 295 · Mar 62 · Apr 46 · May 46 · Jun 89 · Jul 19 · Aug 17 · Sep 108 · Oct 136 · Nov 297 · Dec 397 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest extreme cold records in California?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-11-28 | Cold/Wind ChillSanta Clara County · forecast zone Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose One storm episode: 3 records, 2019-11-28 to 2019-11-29; the totals are the episode's. After some active weather, skies began to clear and temperatures dropped. Cold overnight lows affected the region for a few days at the end of November. Santa Rosa tied a daily record low for November 29th of 25 degrees F. Santa Clara County reported 5 cold weather related fatalities. A record low maximum temperature ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-12-13 | Cold/Wind ChillSanta Clara County · forecast zone Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose Six unhoused residents died from cold-related illness between the 13th and 14th. Four of those were in San Jose aged 40s-70s, with two others in unspecified areas in Santa Clara county. | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-18 | Cold/Wind ChillAlpine County and 8 more · forecast zone West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada Placer County Sheriff reported the missing hikers entered the water on June 18th and did not surface. Their bodies were recovered on June 22nd. Air temperatures at the time were in the mid 70s to 80s at the time of the report with water temperatures in the 40s to 50s. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-08-03 | Cold/Wind ChillAmador County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Sacramento Valley One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places, 2024-08-03 to 2024-08-06; the totals are the episode's. Two bodies were recovered over an early August weekend due to cold-water drownings. The first was found on 8/3 in the American River at the Clay Banks near Rancho Cordova. A man in his 30s went underwater and never resurfaced. He was not wearing a life jacket. The second male was found on 8/4 in the Sacramento River, ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-05-14 | Cold/Wind ChillAlpine County and 6 more · forecast zone West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Warm weather combined with cold and fast moving area waterways lead to 5 deaths across the region in the month of May. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2020-05-28 | Cold/Wind ChillAmador County and 6 more · forecast zone Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland Three men went missing after being swept into the Cosumnes River in El Dorado County on Thursday. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said at around 4pm a caller reported seeing the men get swept into the river and disappear. Sheriff’s deputies, a dive team, a helicopter, and multiple fire and rescue crews all ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-06-18 | Cold/Wind ChillButte County and 2 more · forecast zone Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2019-06-18 to 2019-06-23; the totals are the episode's. Rivers remained unusually cold and fast moving due to the deep Sierra snow pack continued melt, which contributed to multiple drownings over a stretch of days. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-02-02 | Cold/Wind ChillSan Diego County · forecast zone San Diego County Mountains A deep low pressure trough moved through California accompanied by strong surface winds and heavy downpours. The strongest winds were clocked in Orange County and through the mountains of San Bernardino County, in advance of the storm. During the morning hours, winds gusted to 60 mph in many areas, felling trees, ... | 2 | 12 | – | |
| 2013-01-16 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSanta Cruz County · forecast zone Northern Monterey Bay One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A prolonged stretch of cold weather across the area brought numerous consecutive days with morning low temperatures at or below freezing across the area. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-05-18 | Cold/Wind ChillAmador County and 6 more · forecast zone Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland One storm episode: 2 records, 2025-05-18 to 2025-05-19; the totals are the episode's. Two cold water drownings were discovered in the month of May due to area waterways running fast and cold from snowmelt. One occurred on the American River near Oregon Bar. Another occurred on the Sacramento River and was a 23 year old fisherman. | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest extreme cold records in California
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-12-20 | Cold/Wind ChillSouthern San Joaquin Valley · forecast zone Southern San Joaquin Valley One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.1B | |
| 2007-01-11 | Frost/FreezeKern County and Tulare County · forecast zone Se S.J. Valley One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.0B | |
| 2011-12-08 | Frost/FreezeKern County and Tulare County · forecast zone Se S.J. Valley One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $361M | |
| 2007-01-13 | Frost/FreezeSan Diego County · forecast zone San Diego County Valleys One storm episode: 8 records in 4 places, 2007-01-13 to 2007-01-14; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $307M | |
| 1999-04-10 | Cold/Wind ChillCentral San Joaquin Valley · forecast zone Central San Joaquin Valley One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $232M | |
| 2007-01-13 | Frost/FreezeVentura County · forecast zone Ventura County Interior Valleys One storm episode: 9 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $208M | |
| 1998-12-21 | Frost/FreezeCountywide, Ventura County One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $151M | |
| 2013-12-05 | Frost/FreezeFresno County and Merced County · forecast zone W Central S.J. Valley One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $139M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are extreme cold records becoming more frequent in California?
California's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | California | United States | California's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 107 | 5,539 | 1.9% |
| 2000s | 575 | 14,792 | 3.9% |
| 2010s | 606 | 18,162 | 3.3% |
| 2020-26 | 527 | 15,329 | 3.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent extreme cold records in California
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-16 | Frost/FreezeSiskiyou County · forecast zone Western Siskiyou County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | Frost/FreezeSiskiyou County · forecast zone Western Siskiyou County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeFresno County and Kings County · forecast zone West Side Of Fresno And Kings Counties | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeFresno County and 2 more · forecast zone Merced-Madera-Mendota | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeFresno County and 2 more · forecast zone Hanford - Corcoran - Lemoore | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeFresno County · forecast zone Fresno - Clovis | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeKern County and 2 more · forecast zone Delano - Wasco - Shafter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeKern County · forecast zone Bakersfield | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeFresno County and Kings County · forecast zone Coalinga - Avenal | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeFresno County and Tulare County · forecast zone Caruthers - San Joaquin - Selma | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeFresno County and Merced County · forecast zone Los Banos-Dos Palos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-09 | Frost/FreezeKern County and Kings County · forecast zone Buttonwillow- Lost Hills - I5 | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for extreme cold records in California
FEMA has declared 3 disasters in California for extreme cold, counting its incident type and declarations that name freez in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 3 were major disasters, the latest on March 13, 2007.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-03-13 | DR-1689 | Severe Freeze | 16 |
| 1999-02-09 | DR-1267 | Ca-Citrus Crop Damage 2/2/99 | 8 |
| 1991-02-11 | DR-894 | Severe Freeze | 33 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Kings County: the county's whole recordThe California county with the most extreme cold records per square mile
- Extreme cold across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in CaliforniaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- High wind and dust storms in California9,795 records
- Floods in California7,136 records
- Winter storms in California6,961 records