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Indiana extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 92 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 925 extreme cold records in Indiana from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 31 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 24, 2026 cold/wind chill: 2 deaths across 6 records. Indiana ranks 24th of 51 states and territories by count and 20th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Indiana, 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
9251996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
31average
Deaths
110 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$14Mas filed
Busiest year
202295 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 Indiana?

Indiana averages about 31 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 24th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (95). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Indiana records 258 extreme cold records since 1996, 20th 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. 20. Indiana 258

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 Indiana have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Vanderburgh County leads Indiana: 70 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 299.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Pike County has the most cold records (75 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. Vanderburgh County 299.9 (71)
  2. Pike County 224.3 (75)
  3. Warrick County 187.2 (72)
  4. Spencer County 173.9 (70)
  5. Posey County 173.4 (71)
  6. Gibson County 147.7 (72)
  7. Porter County 40.7 (17)
  8. Floyd County 40.4 (6)
  9. Newton County 34.8 (14)
  10. Lake County 34.1 (17)
  11. Benton County 32.0 (13)
  12. Tipton County 30.7 (8)

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 Indiana?

50% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in December and January. The busiest month is January (337 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 337 · Feb 96 · Mar 6 · Apr 186 · May 18 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 116 · Nov 36 · Dec 130 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Indiana?

Indiana: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-24 Cold/Wind ChillMarion County · forecast zone Marion One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Following a period of sub-zero temperatures and lingering impacts from previous winter weather, most central Indiana counties remained under a deep arctic influence as the 23rd began. Skies remained relatively clear overnight as a potent arctic high-pressure system, centered over the Midwest, dominated the regional ... 2 0 –
2008-01-19 Cold/Wind ChillLaPorte County · forecast zone La Porte Two deaths related to the cold temperatures were reported by local media outlets. A 61 year old woman was found deceased in her home in Michigan City as a result of hypothermia from exposure to the cold inside her home. Family members said that she had tried to conserve in the past for energy and may not have realized ... 2 0 –
2015-02-19 Cold/Wind ChillVanderburgh County · forecast zone Vanderburgh Record-breaking cold and brisk winds combined to produce dangerously low wind chills. Bitterly cold wind chills around 15 below zero were observed across southwest Indiana. Southwest Indiana had not seen a cold stretch of this magnitude this late in the season since 1960. The actual low temperature was 6 below zero at ... 1 0 –
2015-02-18 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLaPorte County · forecast zone La Porte Lake effect snow showers created hazardous driving conditions behind an arctic front February 18th into February 19th. There were reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region thanks to reduced visibilities and snow covered roads. Total snow accumulations were highly variable across the county, ranging from a ... 1 0 –
2011-02-10 Cold/Wind ChillKosciusko County · forecast zone Kosciusko A 97 year old Syracuse woman was found dead after apparently falling on ice outside her residence during the overnight hours of the 10th. Temperatures had fallen into the teens below zero across the county. A combination of the head injury and cold weather caused her death. The time is estimated based on local reports. 1 0 –
2010-02-10 Cold/Wind ChillFloyd County · forecast zone Floyd A man died due to hypothermia in a parking lot behind a store in New Albany, Indiana. 1 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillWarrick County · forecast zone Warrick One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A ridge of high pressure moved into the region on the morning of the 1st. Temperatures plummeted into the single digits. Although winds were mainly light, a few locations still manage to see wind chills fall between -5 to -10. In Warrick County, IN, a prolonged period of sub freezing temperatures that continued into ... 1 0 –
2024-01-14 Cold/Wind ChillVanderburgh County · forecast zone Vanderburgh The Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office reported that a homeless man (67m) was found dead on Third Street in downtown Evansville on the 15th. The autopsy identified the cause of death as hypothermia due to environmental exposure. Conditions were frigid on the 15th, with an early morning low of 4 and wind chills ... 1 0 –
2022-12-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAllen County · forecast zone Allen An arctic front brought sub-zero temperatures and strong wind gusts to 40 to 50 mph. This combination resulted in dangerous wind chills of 25 to 40 below zero from the early morning hours on December 23rd to the early morning hours on December 24th. 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 Indiana

Indiana: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-04-06 Frost/FreezeDearborn County and Ripley County · forecast zone Dearborn One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $7.1M
2007-04-08 Frost/FreezeGibson County · forecast zone Gibson One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $4.6M
2020-05-09 Frost/FreezeTipton County · forecast zone Tipton 0 0 $1.1M

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 Indiana?

Indiana'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: Indiana and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeIndianaUnited StatesIndiana's share
1996-99815,5391.5%
2000s17914,7921.2%
2010s28718,1621.6%
2020-2637815,3292.5%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Indiana

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-02-01 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPutnam County · forecast zone Putnam 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHancock County · forecast zone Hancock 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillShelby County · forecast zone Shelby 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillWarrick County · forecast zone Warrick 1 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillPike County · forecast zone Pike 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillGibson County · forecast zone Gibson 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Cold/Wind ChillWarrick County · forecast zone Warrick 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Cold/Wind ChillVanderburgh County · forecast zone Vanderburgh 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Cold/Wind ChillPosey County · forecast zone Posey 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Cold/Wind ChillPike County · forecast zone Pike 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Cold/Wind ChillGibson County · forecast zone Gibson 0 0 –
2026-01-26 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillTipton County · forecast zone Tipton 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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