District of Columbia extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 1 county with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 27 extreme cold records in District of Columbia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 1.6 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 5, 2002 cold/wind chill in District of Columbia: 2 deaths. District of Columbia ranks 49th of 51 states and territories by count.

Extreme cold in District of Columbia, 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: 271996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 1.6average
Deaths: 20 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: –as filed
Busiest year: 20075 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 District of Columbia?

District of Columbia averages about 1.6 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 49th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2007 (5).

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.

When is the cold season in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia's extreme cold records by month. The busiest month is January (7 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 7 · Feb 3 · Mar 2 · Apr 6 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 2 · Nov 5 · Dec 2 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2002-02-05	Cold/Wind ChillDistrict of Columbia · forecast zone District Of Columbia Two homeless men died after being exposed to near zero degree wind chills overnight.		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.

Are extreme cold records becoming more frequent in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia'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: District of Columbia and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	District of Columbia	United States	District of Columbia's share
1996-99	1	5,539	0.02%
2000s	12	14,792	0.08%
2010s	9	18,162	0.05%
2020-26	5	15,329	0.03%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in District of Columbia

The 5 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Damage
2026-02-07	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDistrict of Columbia · forecast zone District Of Columbia	0	–
2026-02-01	Cold/Wind ChillDistrict of Columbia · forecast zone District Of Columbia	0	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDistrict of Columbia · forecast zone District Of Columbia	0	–
2025-01-20	Cold/Wind ChillDistrict of Columbia · forecast zone District Of Columbia	0	–
2002-02-05	Cold/Wind ChillDistrict of Columbia · forecast zone District Of Columbia	2	–

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.