Ohio extreme cold
Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 88 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 863 extreme cold records in Ohio from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 35 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 1, 2021 cold/wind chill in Cuyahoga County: 7 deaths. Ohio ranks 26th of 51 states and territories by count and 25th of 50 per square mile.
Extreme cold in Ohio, 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
- 8631996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 35average
- Deaths
- 271 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $58Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2014119 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 Ohio?
Ohio averages about 35 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 26th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2014 (119). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Ohio records 211 extreme cold records since 1996, 25th 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 Ohio have the most extreme cold records?
Per square mile, Perry County leads Ohio: 37 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 90.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Perry County has the most cold records (37 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 Ohio?
60% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (340 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 340 · Feb 181 · Mar 65 · Apr 71 · May 47 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 9 · Oct 36 · Nov 18 · Dec 96 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Ohio?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County · forecast zone Cuyahoga The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Office determined that seven people in Cuyahoga County died from exposure during the first half of February due to the combination of cold weather and inadequate housing with proper heating. Temperatures during the first half of February were largely below freezing with many nights ... | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-01-30 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County · forecast zone Cuyahoga One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong low pressure system moved through the Great Lakes region on the morning of January 29 and departed into Canada. In the wake of this low, an arctic cold front moved through the lower Great Lakes region early on January 29, allowing for arctic high pressure to build over the midwest, setting up an extremely ... | 4 | 0 | $115K | |
| 1997-01-10 | Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County · forecast zone Cuyahoga Low temperatures were in the single digits or below zero across all of Northern Ohio, causing frozen and ruptured water pipes. With wind chills of 40 to 50 below zero, many schools were forced to close. On the 19th, Possum Run (Richland County), just south of Mansfield, reported a temperature of minus 15 degrees. ... | 4 | 0 | $37K | |
| 2022-12-23 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMarion County · forecast zone Marion One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A long-duration, multi-faceted winter storm hit northern Ohio just before Christmas 2022 with extreme cold, strong winds, accumulating snow and extensive blowing and drifting of the snow that fell. An Arctic cold front swept east across northern Ohio during the late evening hours of December 22nd and early morning ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillMeigs County · forecast zone Meigs One storm episode: 10 records in 9 places, 2026-02-01 to 2026-02-02; the totals are the episode's. A period of extremely cold temperatures that began in late January spilled into the first week of February amid a cold airmass dominating the bulk of the country. Daytime temperatures for the start of the month struggled to rise above freezing and plummeting to sub-zero values during the overnight hours. Local ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2009-02-04 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillButler County · forecast zone Butler A woman wandered from her nursing home in Fairfield and succumbed to hypothermia. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-01-15 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton A man was found at the bottom of a stairwell in Cheviot, where he apparently fell down and froze to death. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-12-21 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGreene County · forecast zone Greene A woman was found outside of her home late Sunday night. She died after being taken to an area hospital. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-11 | Cold/Wind ChillDarke County · forecast zone Darke The Darke County coroner informed the NWS office that a fatality occurred on this day, partially attributed to hypothermia. The low temperature that morning at the Darke County airport VES was 21 degrees. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1997-01-09 | Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County · forecast zone Cuyahoga A 97 year old white female died of hypothermia in her home. | 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 Ohio
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-06 | Frost/FreezeAdams County · forecast zone Adams One storm episode: 31 records in 31 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $24M | |
| 2012-04-29 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake One storm episode: 7 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2002-05-20 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAshtabula County · forecast zone Ashtabula One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $5.7M | |
| 1996-02-02 | Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County · forecast zone Cuyahoga One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $4.5M | |
| 1996-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton | 0 | 0 | $753K | |
| 2000-04-06 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHolmes County · forecast zone Holmes | 0 | 0 | $428K | |
| 2019-01-30 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County · forecast zone Cuyahoga One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 4 | 0 | $115K | |
| 1997-01-10 | Cold/Wind ChillCuyahoga County · forecast zone Cuyahoga | 4 | 0 | $37K |
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 Ohio?
Ohio'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 | Ohio | United States | Ohio's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 206 | 5,539 | 3.7% |
| 2000s | 175 | 14,792 | 1.2% |
| 2010s | 358 | 18,162 | 2.0% |
| 2020-26 | 124 | 15,329 | 0.8% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent extreme cold records in Ohio
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-02 | Cold/Wind ChillPerry County · forecast zone Perry | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillVinton County · forecast zone Vinton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillMorgan County · forecast zone Morgan | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillLawrence County · forecast zone Lawrence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillGallia County · forecast zone Gallia | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillAthens County · forecast zone Athens | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillJackson County · forecast zone Jackson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPerry County · forecast zone Perry | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillMeigs County · forecast zone Meigs | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillTuscarawas County · forecast zone Tuscarawas | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHarrison County · forecast zone Harrison | 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
- Perry County: the county's whole recordThe Ohio county with the most extreme cold records per square mile
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