PlainHazard

Colorado extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 61 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,068 extreme cold records in Colorado from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 39 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 18, 1998 cold/wind chill in Adams County and 3 more: 3 deaths and 15 injuries. Colorado ranks 22nd of 51 states and territories by count and 33rd of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Colorado, 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
1,0681996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
39average
Deaths
515 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$114Mas filed
Busiest year
2025250 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 Colorado?

Colorado averages about 39 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 22nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (250). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Colorado records 103 extreme cold records since 1996, 33rd of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Maryland 1039
  2. 2. New Jersey 901
  3. 3. West Virginia 808
  4. 4. Vermont 703
  5. 5. New York 602
  6. 6. Kentucky 578
  7. 7. Delaware 565
  8. 8. Minnesota 532
  9. 9. Iowa 492
  10. 10. Illinois 483
  11. 33. Colorado 103

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 Colorado have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Delta County leads Colorado: 86 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 75.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Mesa County has the most cold records (239 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).

  1. Delta County 75.3 (129)
  2. Dolores County 67.5 (105)
  3. Montrose County 57.6 (220)
  4. Denver County 52.3 (8)
  5. Garfield County 49.5 (238)
  6. San Miguel County 41.2 (112)
  7. Mesa County 38.8 (239)
  8. Archuleta County 36.3 (62)
  9. La Plata County 35.5 (76)
  10. Montezuma County 34.5 (90)
  11. Routt County 33.4 (130)
  12. Eagle County 33.2 (82)

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 Colorado?

Colorado's extreme cold records by month. The busiest month is January (278 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 278 · Feb 64 · Mar 21 · Apr 134 · May 93 · Jun 29 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 101 · Oct 228 · Nov 18 · Dec 102 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Colorado?

Colorado: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-12-18 Cold/Wind ChillAdams County and 3 more · forecast zone Denver Metropolitan Area An Arctic airmass settled in over northeastern Colorado dropping overnight temperatures well below zero for 6 consecutive days. Overnight temperatures bottomed out at 19 degrees below zero on the morning of the 22nd. At least 15 people, mostly homeless, were treated for hypothermia at area hospitals. The bitter cold ... 3 15 –
1996-12-18 Cold/Wind ChillAdams County and 3 more · forecast zone N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County A homeless man was found unconcious in his car suffering from exposure. The man's body temperature was only 85 degrees when he was discovered. Temperatures overnight in Denver had dipped to 9 below zero. The man died several hours later. 1 0 –
2022-12-21 Cold/Wind ChillAdams County and 3 more · forecast zone N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County Wind chill temperatures ranged from -25F to -40F. According to the city of Denver, at least one person died from exposure to the dangerously cold temperatures. 1 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 Colorado

Colorado: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2020-04-14 Frost/FreezeGarfield County and Mesa County · forecast zone Grand Valley 0 0 $34M
1997-04-12 Frost/FreezeDelta County and Montrose County · forecast zone Central Gunnison And Uncompahgre River Basin/Montrose And Vicinity 0 0 $17M
1999-04-16 Cold/Wind ChillGarfield County and Mesa County · forecast zone Grand Valley/Grand Junction And Vicinity 0 0 $16M
2003-04-04 Frost/FreezeGarfield County and Mesa County · forecast zone Grand Valley One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $14M
1996-04-29 Frost/FreezeDelta County and Montrose County · forecast zone Central Gunnison And Uncompahgre River Basin 0 0 $13M
2014-11-10 Frost/FreezeAdams County and 3 more · forecast zone N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County 0 0 $12M
1996-04-19 Frost/FreezeGarfield County and Mesa County · forecast zone Grand Valley 0 0 $7.0M
2001-06-14 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDolores County and Montezuma County · forecast zone Four Corners / Upper Dolores River Basin 0 0 $417K

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 Colorado?

Colorado'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.

Extreme cold: Colorado and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeColoradoUnited StatesColorado's share
1996-991125,5392.0%
2000s20314,7921.4%
2010s24418,1621.3%
2020-2650915,3293.3%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Colorado

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-25 Cold/Wind ChillWeld County · forecast zone C & S Weld County 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Cold/Wind ChillLarimer County and Weld County · forecast zone Larimer County Below 6000 Feet / Nw Weld County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillPhillips County · forecast zone Phillips County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillWashington County · forecast zone Washington County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillLogan County · forecast zone Logan County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillElbert County and Lincoln County · forecast zone Se Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / South Lincoln County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillElbert County and Lincoln County · forecast zone N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillMorgan County · forecast zone Morgan County 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Cold/Wind ChillWeld County · forecast zone Ne Weld County 0 0 –
2025-10-29 Frost/FreezeLa Plata County · forecast zone Animas River Basin 0 0 –
2025-10-29 Frost/FreezeDolores County and 2 more · forecast zone Four Corners / Upper Dolores River Basin 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.

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