PlainHazard

Michigan extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 63 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,075 extreme cold records in Michigan from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 34 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 1, 2018 cold/wind chill: 4 deaths across 4 records. Michigan ranks 21st of 51 states and territories by count and 27th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Michigan, 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
1,0751996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
34average
Deaths
30200 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$122Mas filed
Busiest year
2015139 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 Michigan?

Michigan averages about 34 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 21st of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2015 (139). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Michigan records 190 extreme cold records since 1996, 27th 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. 27. Michigan 190

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 Michigan have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Dickinson County leads Michigan: 51 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 67.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Houghton County has the most cold records (66 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. Dickinson County 67.0 (52)
  2. Gogebic County 55.3 (61)
  3. Iron County 52.3 (61)
  4. Baraga County 51.2 (61)
  5. Keweenaw County 46.3 (25)
  6. Houghton County 44.6 (66)
  7. Menominee County 37.4 (39)
  8. Delta County 36.7 (43)
  9. Macomb County 35.5 (17)
  10. Ontonagon County 35.1 (46)
  11. Wayne County 34.3 (22)
  12. Bay County 33.9 (15)

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 Michigan?

80% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (489 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 489 · Feb 369 · Mar 12 · Apr 26 · May 1 · Jun 104 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 17 · Oct 0 · Nov 1 · Dec 56 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Michigan?

Michigan: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2018-01-01 Cold/Wind ChillSt. Clair County · forecast zone St. Clair One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A prolonged cold spell gripped southeast Michigan January 1st to January 7th leading to the deaths of at least 4 people in the Detroit Metro Area. High temperatures were in the single numbers and teens during this stretch, with low temperatures mostly in the -15 to +5 F degree range. The cold peaked January 4-5th, ... 4 0 –
1999-01-04 Cold/Wind ChillOakland County · forecast zone Oakland One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Arctic air invaded Michigan behind the massive snowstorm. As usual, the Great Lakes offered some protection, as air was warmed as it crossed the lakes. But far southeast Michigan did not receive the benefits of the lakes, as arctic air coming from the northwest curled around the southern tip of Lake Michigan and ... 3 29 –
2019-01-29 Cold/Wind ChillWayne County · forecast zone Wayne An arctic air outbreak into the Midwest at the end of January 2019 brought extreme low temperatures and dangerous wind chills for several days. Numerous low temperature records were set across the area. The arctic front moved through Southeast Michigan on Tuesday, January 29 and temperatures fell to below zero by ... 2 0 –
2002-12-03 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWayne County · forecast zone Wayne One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Temperatures across the state averaged well below normal the first week of December. Detroit tied a 131-year record low of 3 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of the 3rd, while a temperature of -8 degrees Fahrenheit broke the record low in Flint. Temperatures across many other locations in eastern Michigan fell below ... 2 0 –
1997-01-17 Cold/Wind ChillBay County · forecast zone Bay One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The coldest weather of the winter occurred from the 17th through the 19th. During that period, lows reached as low as -6 at Detroit's metro airport, and -9 at Flint's Bishop airport and the National Weather Service forecast office at White Lake. One man died of hypothermia in Bay City. A few days earlier, on the 12th, ... 2 0 –
2007-02-03 Cold/Wind ChillWayne County · forecast zone Wayne One storm episode: 17 records in 17 places; the totals are the episode's. A bitter cold airmass blasted into the region on Saturday, February the 3rd and persisted through Tuesday, February the 6th. Temperatures through this period were 20 to 25 degrees below normal. Daytime temps struggled to reach 10 degrees while subzero temperatures occurred all 3 nights. Flint set 2 temperature records ... 1 170 $605K
2011-02-08 Cold/Wind ChillIron County · forecast zone Iron The combination of Arctic air and gusty north winds plunged wind chill readings near 25 below zero on the morning of the 8th. Actual minimum temperatures dipped below zero every morning from the 8th through the 11th reaching extreme readings near 25 below at several locations on the morning of the 11th. A Caspian man ... 1 0 –
1996-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillWayne County · forecast zone Wayne The coldest weather of the winter season occurred across southeast Michigan during the first week of February. At Flint, the low temperature was zero or lower every day from January 31st through February 6th, reaching a low of -11 on the 3rd. At Detroit, the lowest temperature was -7, also on the 3rd. An elderly man ... 1 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWashtenaw County · forecast zone Washtenaw One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. Temperatures bottoming out around zero during Friday morning, coupled with wind speeds in excess of 15 mph, produced wind chills of 15 to 25 below zero across most of southeast Michigan. Even slightly colder readings were noted across Oakland, Genesee, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties. The arctic airmass persisted into ... 1 0 –
1998-03-09 Cold/Wind ChillBay County · forecast zone Bay A Kawkawlin man passed out while walking home from a local tavern. A steady, cold rain was falling, and the man died from hypothermia. Alcohol was likely a contributing factor. 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 Michigan

Michigan: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2012-04-27 Frost/FreezeLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $96M
2012-04-12 Frost/FreezeBerrien County · forecast zone Berrien One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $15M
1997-05-16 Cold/Wind ChillOceana County · forecast zone Oceana 0 0 $3.7M
1999-01-11 Cold/Wind ChillLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $2.2M
2012-04-27 Frost/FreezeMidland County · forecast zone Midland One storm episode: 16 records in 16 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $1.7M
1998-12-30 Cold/Wind ChillSaginaw County · forecast zone Saginaw 0 0 $905K
2000-12-21 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWashtenaw County · forecast zone Washtenaw 0 0 $814K
2007-02-03 Cold/Wind ChillWayne County · forecast zone Wayne One storm episode: 17 records in 17 places; the totals are the episode's. 1 170 $605K

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 Michigan?

Michigan'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: Michigan and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeMichiganUnited StatesMichigan's share
1996-99975,5391.8%
2000s27814,7921.9%
2010s44818,1622.5%
2020-2625215,3291.6%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Michigan

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-02-07 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillRoscommon County · forecast zone Roscommon 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMontmorency County · forecast zone Montmorency 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCheboygan County · forecast zone Cheboygan 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillArenac County · forecast zone Arenac 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillOgemaw County · forecast zone Ogemaw 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillIosco County · forecast zone Iosco 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillAlcona County · forecast zone Alcona 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillOscoda County · forecast zone Oscoda 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillCrawford County · forecast zone Crawford 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillOtsego County · forecast zone Otsego 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillAlpena County · forecast zone Alpena 0 0 –
2026-02-07 Cold/Wind ChillMackinac County · forecast zone Mackinac Island/Bois Blanc Island 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.

Federal disaster declarations for extreme cold records in Michigan

FEMA has declared 2 disasters in Michigan for extreme cold, counting its incident type and declarations that name freez in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 2 were major disasters, the latest on May 10, 1994.

The 12 most recent
DeclaredNumberTitleAreas named
1994-05-10DR-1028Severe Deep Freeze10
1972-04-05DR-330Severe Storm & Freezing9

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

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