North Dakota extreme cold
Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 53 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,598 extreme cold records in North Dakota from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 99 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the November 27, 1997 frost/freeze in McKenzie County: 1 death, 3 injuries and $28,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. North Dakota ranks 5th of 51 states and territories by count and 12th of 50 per square mile.
Extreme cold in North Dakota, 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
- 2,5981996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 99average
- Deaths
- 135 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $741Kas filed
- Busiest year
- 2008275 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 North Dakota?
North Dakota averages about 99 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 5th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2008 (275). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Dakota records 377 extreme cold records since 1996, 12th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
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 North Dakota have the most extreme cold records?
Per square mile, Eddy County leads North Dakota: 85 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 134.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Walsh County has the most cold records (170 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).
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 North Dakota?
73% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (1,129 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,129 · Feb 763 · Mar 88 · Apr 0 · May 117 · Jun 19 · Jul 0 · Aug 18 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 29 · Dec 435 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest extreme cold records in North Dakota?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-11-27 | Frost/FreezeMandaree, McKenzie County Frosty roads were the blame for this accident. A pickup lost control on the slick roads and hit the deceased's van head on. The driver of the pickup was injured as well as 2 passengers in the van. | 1 | 3 | $28K | |
| 2014-02-04 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSioux County · forecast zone Sioux A woman on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in Sioux County succumbed to very cold temperatures in her home due to the lack of propane for her heat. There was no heat for the house. Low temperatures were in the single digits below zero and highs were around 10 with an average wind speed for the day of less than 10 ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-02-01 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWilliams County · forecast zone Williams The combination of winds and cold Arctic air resulted in wind chill temperatures of 40 below to near 50 below zero. One fatality (direct) occurred due to the extreme cold. The body of an adult female was found one mile from her car near Tioga, in Williams County. The woman left the vehicle when it became disabled. The ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-12-21 | Cold/Wind ChillMcLean County · forecast zone McLean This was a two day subset of a prolonged cold snap across North Dakota. Temperatures on the 21st at Garrison ranged from a high of ten below zero to a low of 21 below. On the 22nd the low was 25 below. A vehicle became stuck in a ditch northeast of Roseglen and the occupant, a 74 year old male, left the vehicle. His ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-01-29 | Cold/Wind ChillBurleigh County · forecast zone Burleigh A 57 year old Bismarck man died from a heart attack while operating a snow blower. The day before the man died, the Bismarck area received 5 inches of snow. On the day he died, high temperatures were in the teens below zero with wind chills from 40 to 60 below. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-01-26 | Cold/Wind ChillMcIntosh County · forecast zone McIntosh An 84 year old Lehr man died of exposure when he went to visit the grave of his wife. The man was found 1 mile from his house. Temperatures that day were around 20 below, and wind chills were estimated to be around 60 below. The man was not wearing a coat or gloves when he was found. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-12-24 | Cold/Wind ChillWilliams County · forecast zone Williams A 41 yr. old female died of exposure in Williston. Her body was found only a few feet from the front door of her house. It is believed that she died sometime during the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 24. The morning low that morning in Williston was 19 below. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-11-21 | Cold/Wind ChillWilliams County · forecast zone Williams A 79 yr. old Crosby farmer died of exposure when his pickup got stuck on a gravel road 5.5 miles east of Crosby. Authorities speculate that when the truck ran out of gas, the farmer left the safety of his pickup in search for help. His body was found 2.5 miles west of his truck. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-01-13 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCass County · forecast zone Cass Wind chill temperatures ranged from 25 below to 35 below zero Sunday night (January 13th) through Monday morning (January 14th). Early on Monday morning, a newspaper carrier found a man dead near the front steps of the bishop's residence at St. Mary's Cathedral on Broadway. The state medical examiner determined that ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2003-02-13 | Cold/Wind ChillSioux County · forecast zone Sioux A young woman died of hperthermia approxiately several days before finding her body in a open field near her home. Time of death is unknown. The young woman was intoxicated when she left her home. Nearby weather reporting stations indicated overnight lows between 10 to 20 below zero prior to finding her body. | 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 North Dakota
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-11-27 | Frost/FreezeMandaree, McKenzie County | 1 | 3 | $28K |
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 North Dakota?
North Dakota'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.
| Decade | North Dakota | United States | North Dakota's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 153 | 5,539 | 2.8% |
| 2000s | 696 | 14,792 | 4.7% |
| 2010s | 1,118 | 18,162 | 6.2% |
| 2020-26 | 631 | 15,329 | 4.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent extreme cold records in North Dakota
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeRichland County · forecast zone Richland | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeSargent County · forecast zone Sargent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeRansom County · forecast zone Ransom | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeCass County · forecast zone Cass | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeBarnes County · forecast zone Barnes | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeTraill County · forecast zone Traill | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeSteele County · forecast zone Steele | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeGriggs County · forecast zone Griggs | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeGrand Forks County · forecast zone Grand Forks | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeNelson County · forecast zone Nelson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeWalsh County · forecast zone Eastern Walsh | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-20 | Frost/FreezeWalsh County · forecast zone Western Walsh | 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.
Next
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