PlainHazard

Iowa extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 99 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,748 extreme cold records in Iowa from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 85 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 29, 2019 extreme cold/wind chill in Johnson County: 2 deaths across 2 records. Iowa ranks 3rd of 51 states and territories by count and 9th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Iowa, 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
2,7481996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
85average
Deaths
70 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$143Mas filed
Busiest year
1996313 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 Iowa?

Iowa averages about 85 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 3rd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (313). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Iowa records 492 extreme cold records since 1996, 9th 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

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 Iowa have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Emmet County leads Iowa: 37 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 93.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Shelby County has the most cold records (55 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. Emmet County 93.5 (37)
  2. Worth County 92.5 (37)
  3. Dickinson County 92.0 (36)
  4. Winnebago County 89.9 (36)
  5. Shelby County 88.0 (55)
  6. Osceola County 87.8 (35)
  7. Humboldt County 80.6 (35)
  8. Monona County 77.8 (54)
  9. Mills County 77.7 (34)
  10. Montgomery County 75.5 (32)
  11. Bremer County 71.2 (31)
  12. Harrison County 70.3 (50)

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 Iowa?

57% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (1,137 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1,137 · Feb 438 · Mar 30 · Apr 211 · May 141 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 100 · Oct 270 · Nov 0 · Dec 421 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Iowa?

Iowa: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-01-29 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillJohnson County · forecast zone Johnson One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A strong arctic high pressure system brought historic cold to much of the Midwest January 29th through January 31st. Numerous low temperature records were broken, including all-time record lows at Cedar Rapids Moline. In addition, life threatening wind chills were reported with values below -30 degrees for many hours. ... 2 0 –
2009-01-16 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPolk County · forecast zone Polk A 65-year-old Carlisle man died on the morning of the 16th when his wheelchair became stuck in the snow in -18 F weather. It appeared the wheelchair became stuck in the snow as he was attempting to clear the pathway into his house. He was found unconscious and cold around 0630 as trash collectors passed his home. He ... 1 0 –
1996-02-04 Cold/Wind ChillDavis County · forecast zone Davis An elderly female slipped and fell during the extreme cold spell. As a consequence, she died of hypothermia as she was unable to get up and out of the elements. 1 0 –
2016-12-18 Cold/Wind ChillLinn County · forecast zone Linn Law enforcement reported that a car driven by a 39 year old man slid 20 to 30 yards off the road in Cedar Rapids Sunday morning. He got out of his car and slipped on ice. Law enforcement found him lying outside of his car at 748 AM CST Sunday with severe hypotherma. It was unclear how long he had been there. He died ... 1 0 –
2001-01-18 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillEmmet County · forecast zone Emmet A strong cold front moved through the state ushering in the coldest air that Iowa had seen in a few weeks. Temperatures fell into the single digits above and below zero with a northwest wind of up to 30 MPH at times. Wind chill indices were in the -30 to -40 F. range. A woman died of exposure in Emmet County on the ... 1 0 –
2000-12-19 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAdair County · forecast zone Adair Very cold air descended on Iowa. One death was reported due to the cold. An 85 year old man fell outside his home in Greenfield and apparently was not visible from the street. He was unable to get up and died of hypothermia. 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 Iowa

Iowa: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1996-09-14 Frost/FreezeMahaska County · forecast zone Mahaska 0 0 $79M
1999-09-21 Cold/Wind ChillAdair County · forecast zone Adair One storm episode: 51 records in 51 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $27M
2005-05-03 Frost/FreezeLee County · forecast zone Lee One storm episode: 17 records in 17 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $15M
1996-05-01 Cold/Wind ChillDavis County · forecast zone Davis 0 0 $9.6M
2011-09-15 Frost/FreezeHancock County · forecast zone Hancock One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $3.5M
2009-10-10 Frost/FreezeMadison County · forecast zone Madison One storm episode: 51 records in 51 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $3.4M
1997-05-13 Frost/FreezeKossuth County · forecast zone Kossuth 0 0 $2.0M
2012-04-11 Frost/FreezeCrawford County · forecast zone Crawford One storm episode: 51 records in 51 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $1.9M

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 Iowa?

Iowa'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: Iowa and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeIowaUnited StatesIowa's share
1996-996165,53911.1%
2000s47314,7923.2%
2010s1,11018,1626.1%
2020-2654915,3293.6%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Iowa

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillFayette County · forecast zone Fayette 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillClayton County · forecast zone Clayton 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWinneshiek County · forecast zone Winneshiek 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAllamakee County · forecast zone Allamakee 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPottawattamie County · forecast zone Pottawattamie 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillShelby County · forecast zone Shelby 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHarrison County · forecast zone Harrison 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMonona County · forecast zone Monona 0 0 –
2026-01-22 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillChickasaw County · forecast zone Chickasaw 0 0 –
2026-01-22 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMitchell County · forecast zone Mitchell 0 0 –
2026-01-22 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHoward County · forecast zone Howard 0 0 –
2026-01-22 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillFloyd County · forecast zone Floyd 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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