PlainHazard

Oklahoma extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 56 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 639 extreme cold records in Oklahoma from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 38 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 12, 2007 cold/wind chill in Logan County: 3 deaths across 3 records. Oklahoma ranks 31st of 51 states and territories by count and 34th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Oklahoma, 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
6391996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
38average
Deaths
90 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$135Kas filed
Busiest year
2025230 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 Oklahoma?

Oklahoma averages about 38 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 31st of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (230). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oklahoma records 93 extreme cold records since 1996, 34th 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. 34. Oklahoma 93

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 Oklahoma have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Murray County leads Oklahoma: 11 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 26.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Texas County has the most cold records (32 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. Murray County 26.4 (11)
  2. Marshall County 24.2 (9)
  3. Cleveland County 22.3 (12)
  4. Love County 21.4 (11)
  5. McClain County 21.0 (12)
  6. Oklahoma County 19.7 (14)
  7. Coal County 19.4 (10)
  8. Payne County 19.0 (13)
  9. Seminole County 19.0 (12)
  10. Noble County 17.8 (13)
  11. Logan County 17.5 (13)
  12. Harmon County 16.8 (9)

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 Oklahoma?

77% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (261 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 230 · Feb 261 · Mar 0 · Apr 22 · May 20 · Jun 2 · Jul 1 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 67 · Nov 6 · Dec 30 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-01-12 Cold/Wind ChillLogan County · forecast zone Logan One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong arctic cold front moved through Oklahoma on the 12th, bringing with it several rounds of wintry precipitation and cold temperatures. The extreme cold took its toll on those who were outside for prolonged periods of time. Two people died of hypothermia due to the extreme cold. 3 0 –
1996-01-18 Cold/Wind ChillOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma A strong arctic air mass settled in across Oklahoma early in the morning of the 18th, and remained over the state through the 20th, resulting in two deaths. Low temperatures fell into the single digits and high temperatures rose only to around 20 degrees on the 19th. Wind chill values fell as low as 35 to 40 degrees ... 2 0 –
1996-11-25 Cold/Wind ChillOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma A transient took shelter from the cold weather in a parked pickup truck near the intersection of North Santa Fe and NE 50th. He died of hypothermia and was found the next day. 1 0 –
2021-02-14 Cold/Wind ChillOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma Below zero wind-chills were recorded for an extended period, with the coldest readings recorded on the morning of the 15th, when wind chills of -20 to -35 degrees were measured. A homeless man in his 50's died due to exposure to extremely cold temperatures in Oklahoma City. 1 0 –
2000-01-30 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma A 49-year old woman was found dead in the snow in her neighbor's front yard in Oklahoma City due to hypothermia. Nearly 10 inches of snow fell across Oklahoma City several days before, and highs on the 30th were only in the 30s. 1 0 –
2000-01-28 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLogan County · forecast zone Logan A 67-year old man was found dead in the snow in his front yard in Guthrie due to hypothermia. Nearly 10 inches of snow fell across Guthrie the 2 previous days, and highs on the 28th were only in the mid 20s. 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 Oklahoma?

Oklahoma'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: Oklahoma and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeOklahomaUnited StatesOklahoma's share
1996-991055,5391.9%
2000s814,7920.1%
2010s8318,1620.5%
2020-2644315,3292.9%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Oklahoma

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-24 Cold/Wind ChillMcCurtain County · forecast zone McCurtain 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillWashita County · forecast zone Washita 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillStephens County · forecast zone Stephens 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillSeminole County · forecast zone Seminole 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillPottawatomie County · forecast zone Pottawatomie 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillPontotoc County · forecast zone Pontotoc 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillMurray County · forecast zone Murray 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillMcClain County · forecast zone McClain 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillLincoln County · forecast zone Lincoln 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillKiowa County · forecast zone Kiowa 0 0 –
2025-02-21 Cold/Wind ChillKay County · forecast zone Kay 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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