PlainHazard

Tennessee extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 67 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 586 extreme cold records in Tennessee from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 23 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 27, 2026 cold/wind chill: 8 deaths across 68 records. Tennessee ranks 33rd of 51 states and territories by count and 29th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Tennessee, 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
5861996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
23average
Deaths
421 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
2026131 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 Tennessee?

Tennessee averages about 23 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 33rd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2026 (131). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Tennessee records 142 extreme cold records since 1996, 29th 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. 29. Tennessee 142

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 Tennessee have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Moore County leads Tennessee: 85 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 657.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Franklin County has the most cold records (97 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. Moore County 657.8 (93)
  2. Franklin County 156.2 (97)
  3. Lincoln County 142.0 (93)
  4. Lake County 72.4 (12)
  5. Crockett County 41.4 (11)
  6. Chester County 35.0 (11)
  7. Decatur County 27.0 (10)
  8. Tipton County 26.3 (12)
  9. Lauderdale County 25.4 (12)
  10. Dyer County 23.4 (12)
  11. Henry County 23.1 (13)
  12. Obion County 22.0 (12)

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 Tennessee?

51% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in December and January. The busiest month is January (197 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 197 · Feb 58 · Mar 63 · Apr 93 · May 3 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 28 · Nov 42 · Dec 102 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Tennessee?

Tennessee: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-27 Cold/Wind ChillHardin County · forecast zone Hardin One storm episode: 68 records in 21 places; the totals are the episode's. While the wintry precipitation created the initial impacts, it was the multi-day period of subfreezing temperatures that prolonged and, in many cases, worsened those impacts. The lack of meaningful thawing effectively extended the storm’s footprint from a 2 – 3 day event into a nearly week-long hazard across West ... 8 0 –
2024-01-14 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillShelby County · forecast zone Shelby One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. An arctic air mass brought very cold air temperatures and sub-zero wind chills across West Tennessee during the January 14-17, 2024 timeframe. As a surface high shifted directly over the Mid-South, clear skies, light winds, and snowpack left the region bitterly cold with well below zero temperatures across parts of ... 7 0 –
2015-02-17 Cold/Wind ChillShelby County · forecast zone Shelby One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Arctic air plunged into the Mid-South from the middle to latter part of February. Highs remained below freezing while low temperatures dropped into the single digits. A few locations even recorded temperatures below zero. As a result, several deaths from hypothermia occurred across West Tennessee. 6 0 –
2010-01-02 Cold/Wind ChillShelby County · forecast zone Shelby One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. The most profound cold snap to occur in at least 14 years over West Tennessee occurred during the first two weeks of January 2010. Highs in Memphis stayed below freezing for 11 out of 13 days between January 2nd and January 14th. Lows in Memphis dropped into the single digits for two out of 3 nights between January ... 5 0 –
2021-02-13 Cold/Wind ChillShelby County · forecast zone Shelby One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places, 2021-02-13 to 2021-02-16; the totals are the episode's. An arctic airmass settled over the region in the wake of a departing winter storm. Snow cover combined with clear skies and diminishing winds to produce the coldest night across much of the Mid-South since 1989. Several locations dropped below zero with wind chills reaching fifteen below on Tuesday morning, February ... 4 1 –
2015-02-16 Cold/Wind ChillHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A winter storm tracked through area on the 16-17th with the atmosphere favorable for both heavy snow and ice accretion. The highest peaks had up to 6 inches of snow while ice accumulations had up to an inch. In addition, cold weather accounted for 3 deaths. A 63 year old man in Hamilton County, a 44 year old man in ... 3 0 –
1996-02-02 Cold/Wind ChillHardin County · forecast zone Hardin Two deaths occurred in Hardin County due to the cold weather. One man was found frozen to death near a woodpile in his backyard in Morris Chapel. A second man was found in his trailer in Shiloh. 2 0 –
2011-01-14 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillHardin County · forecast zone Hardin A woman slipped and fell outside her camper trailer and died as a result of exposure to the cold. 1 0 –
2011-01-20 Cold/Wind ChillHenry County · forecast zone Henry An elderly man wandered away from his home and died as a result of exposure to the extreme cold conditions. 1 0 –
2010-12-13 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMaury County · forecast zone Maury The Maury County Sheriff's Department reported that a 73 year old women was found dead from freezing to death after locking herself out of her home in northwest Maury County. 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 Tennessee?

Tennessee'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: Tennessee and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeTennesseeUnited StatesTennessee's share
1996-9915,5390.0%
2000s6314,7920.4%
2010s13418,1620.7%
2020-2638815,3292.5%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Tennessee

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillWeakley County · forecast zone Weakley 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillTipton County · forecast zone Tipton 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillShelby County · forecast zone Shelby 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillObion County · forecast zone Obion 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillMcNairy County · forecast zone McNairy 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillMadison County · forecast zone Madison 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillLauderdale County · forecast zone Lauderdale 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillLake County · forecast zone Lake 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillHenry County · forecast zone Henry 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillHaywood County · forecast zone Haywood 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillHardin County · forecast zone Hardin 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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