PlainHazard

Massachusetts extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 12 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 173 extreme cold records in Massachusetts from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 7.5 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 3, 2007 extreme cold/wind chill in Suffolk County: 1 death. Massachusetts ranks 42nd of 51 states and territories by count and 24th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Massachusetts, 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
1731996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
7.5average
Deaths
10 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
201530 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 Massachusetts?

Massachusetts averages about 7.5 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 42nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2015 (30). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Massachusetts records 222 extreme cold records since 1996, 24th 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. 24. Massachusetts 222

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 Massachusetts have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Berkshire County leads Massachusetts: 69 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 74.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Berkshire County has the most cold records (131 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. Berkshire County 74.4 (131)
  2. Dukes County 9.7 (1)
  3. Norfolk County 7.6 (4)
  4. Essex County 6.1 (4)
  5. Worcester County 5.3 (10)
  6. Hampden County 4.9 (4)
  7. Middlesex County 3.7 (4)
  8. Plymouth County 3.0 (2)
  9. Franklin County 2.9 (2)
  10. Barnstable County 2.5 (1)
  11. Bristol County 1.8 (2)

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 Massachusetts?

72% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (65 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 65 · Feb 59 · Mar 2 · Apr 1 · May 17 · Jun 2 · Jul 2 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 12 · Nov 3 · Dec 10 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-02-03 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSuffolk County · forecast zone Suffolk A homeless man died from exposure to extreme cold in the Chinatown section of Boston. 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.

Are extreme cold records becoming more frequent in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts'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: Massachusetts and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeMassachusettsUnited StatesMassachusetts's share
1996-9915,5390.02%
2000s3314,7920.22%
2010s9818,1620.54%
2020-264115,3290.27%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Massachusetts

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-02-08 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Southern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-02-08 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Northern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Southern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Northern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Southern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Northern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Southern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Northern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Southern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Northern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-01-29 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Southern Berkshire 0 0 –
2026-01-29 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBerkshire County · forecast zone Northern Berkshire 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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