PlainHazard

New Hampshire extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 10 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 285 extreme cold records in New Hampshire from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 24 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 27, 1996 cold/wind chill in Coos County: 1 death. New Hampshire ranks 37th of 51 states and territories by count and 14th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in New Hampshire, 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
2851996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
24average
Deaths
20 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
200060 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 New Hampshire?

New Hampshire averages about 24 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 37th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2000 (60). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Hampshire records 318 extreme cold records since 1996, 14th 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. 14. New Hampshire 318

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 New Hampshire have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Belknap County leads New Hampshire: 23 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 57.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Coos County has the most cold records (52 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. Belknap County 57.2 (24)
  2. Strafford County 57.1 (22)
  3. Sullivan County 39.0 (22)
  4. Rockingham County 28.8 (41)
  5. Carroll County 25.8 (48)
  6. Merrimack County 22.5 (22)
  7. Coos County 15.0 (52)
  8. Grafton County 13.5 (46)
  9. Cheshire County 4.2 (3)
  10. Hillsborough County 3.4 (5)

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 New Hampshire?

87% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (200 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 200 · Feb 47 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 12 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 26 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1996-02-27 Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos A winter hiker climbing a peak near Mt. Washington likely became disoriented, then died as a result of hypothermia. 1 0 –
2016-02-25 Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos High winds and heavy rain accompanied a major storm system that moved through New Hampshire late in the day on the 24th and in the early morning hours of the 25th. A 54-year-old professional trail guide who was hiking in the mountains near Mt. Washington died of hypothermia during the storm. His frozen body was ... 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 New Hampshire?

New Hampshire'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: New Hampshire and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeNew HampshireUnited StatesNew Hampshire's share
1996-99855,5391.5%
2000s16714,7921.1%
2010s118,1620.0%
2020-263215,3290.2%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in New Hampshire

The 9 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBelknap County · forecast zone Belknap 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCarroll County · forecast zone Southern Carroll 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrafton County · forecast zone Southern Grafton 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCarroll County · forecast zone Northern Carroll 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrafton County · forecast zone Northern Grafton 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos 0 0 –
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Northern Coos 0 0 –
2016-02-25 Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos 1 0 –
1996-02-27 Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos 1 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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