PlainHazard

Utah extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 29 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 245 extreme cold records in Utah from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 9.4 a year since 2000. Utah ranks 39th of 51 states and territories by count and 43rd of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Utah, 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
2451996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
9.4average
Deaths
00 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$406Kas filed
Busiest year
202534 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 Utah?

Utah averages about 9.4 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 39th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (34). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Utah records 30 extreme cold records since 1996, 43rd 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. 43. Utah 30

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 Utah have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Grand County leads Utah: 61 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 16.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, San Juan County has the most cold records (98 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. Grand County 16.6 (68)
  2. Uintah County 9.6 (51)
  3. San Juan County 8.6 (98)
  4. Davis County 6.2 (2)
  5. Weber County 4.9 (5)
  6. Daggett County 4.3 (3)
  7. Morgan County 3.3 (3)
  8. Rich County 2.9 (3)
  9. Salt Lake County 2.7 (3)
  10. Piute County 2.6 (2)
  11. Cache County 2.6 (4)
  12. Sanpete County 1.3 (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 Utah?

Utah's extreme cold records by month. The busiest month is April (70 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 34 · Feb 3 · Mar 10 · Apr 70 · May 8 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 5 · Oct 67 · Nov 13 · Dec 35 (records).

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

Are extreme cold records becoming more frequent in Utah?

Utah'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: Utah and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeUtahUnited StatesUtah's share
1996-99285,5390.51%
2000s6514,7920.44%
2010s6518,1620.36%
2020-268715,3290.57%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Utah

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-10-27 Frost/FreezeUintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Basin 0 0 –
2025-04-18 Frost/FreezeUintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Basin 0 0 –
2025-04-03 Frost/FreezeSan Juan County · forecast zone Southeast Utah 0 0 –
2025-04-01 Frost/FreezeGrand County · forecast zone Grand Flat And Arches 0 0 –
2025-04-01 Frost/FreezeSan Juan County · forecast zone Southeast Utah 0 0 –
2025-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrand County · forecast zone Grand Flat And Arches 0 0 –
2025-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSan Juan County · forecast zone Southeast Utah 0 0 –
2025-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSan Juan County · forecast zone Southeast Utah 0 0 –
2025-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillUintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Basin 0 0 –
2025-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSan Juan County · forecast zone Southeast Utah 0 0 –
2025-01-22 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrand County · forecast zone Grand Flat And Arches 0 0 –
2025-01-22 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillUintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Basin 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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