Washington extreme cold
Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 33 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 152 extreme cold records in Washington from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 8.2 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 12, 2024 cold/wind chill in King County: 5 deaths. Washington ranks 43rd of 51 states and territories by count and 44th of 50 per square mile.
Extreme cold in Washington, 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
- 1521996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 8.2average
- Deaths
- 113 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $402Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 202431 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 Washington?
Washington averages about 8.2 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 43rd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (31). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Washington records 23 extreme cold records since 1996, 44th 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 Washington have the most extreme cold records?
Per square mile, Columbia County leads Washington: 16 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 18.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Walla Walla County has the most cold records (33 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 Washington?
Washington's extreme cold records by month. The busiest month is April (32 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 28 · Feb 6 · Mar 1 · Apr 32 · May 2 · Jun 1 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 26 · Nov 26 · 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 Washington?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-12 | Cold/Wind ChillKing County · forecast zone Seattle And Vicinity Here's an article excerpt taken from the Seattle Times 01/18/24. At least five people have died from hypothermia in Seattle since Jan. 11, during a stretch of days that saw temperatures plummet well below freezing, according to the King County medical examiner’s office. Authorities have not said whether any of them ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-03-26 | Cold/Wind ChillLewis County and Pierce County · forecast zone Cascades Of Pierce And Lewis Counties On the team's descent from the summit on Saturday, March 26, they were caught out overnight in a winter storm, causing them to take shelter from extreme wind, blowing snow, and frigid temperatures on the lee side of a ridge. During this time it is believed that the man may have succumbed to exposure. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2021-12-14 | Frost/FreezeCowlitz County and Skamania County · forecast zone South Washington Cascades Rain and snow showers occurred overnight, with clearing skies and temperatures dipping to or below freezing in the morning. A vehicle, carrying high school students on their way to school, slid and crashed into a fence and a house around 8am in the morning. | 1 | 1 | $22K | |
| 2015-06-11 | Cold/Wind ChillLewis County and Pierce County · forecast zone Cascades Of Pierce And Lewis Counties A climber died near the summit on Mount Rainier. There were high winds and low visibility at the time. The man had taken shelter in a crevasse, but went back to the summit to get his stove and was never seen alive again. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-01-30 | Cold/Wind ChillSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity A spotter reported a temperature of 27 degrees below zero in the Okanogan. In northeast Washington 2 men died of hypothermia when their car ran off the road. The coldest February temperature ever was recorded in Spokane that morning with -24. Wine-grape growers feared damage due to the cold. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-01-28 | Cold/Wind ChillClallam County · forecast zone Eastern Strait Of Juan De Fuca In Pasco, a woman froze to death after her pickup truck ran off the road and down a ravine. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-12-27 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLincoln County and Spokane County · forecast zone Spokane Area Washington Department of Health reported that there was 1 cold-related death on December 27th in Spokane County. The exact time of death is unknown. Minimum wind chills were in the single digits across the county including 4 degrees at Spokane International Airport and 7 degrees at Felts Field. | 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 Washington
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-04-19 | Frost/FreezeChelan County and Douglas County · forecast zone Wenatchee Area | 0 | 0 | $144M | |
| 2002-11-01 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillYakima County · forecast zone E Yakima | 0 | 0 | $107M | |
| 2005-04-12 | Frost/FreezeYakima County · forecast zone Yakima Valley | 0 | 0 | $76M | |
| 2005-04-13 | Frost/FreezeYakima County · forecast zone Yakima Valley | 0 | 0 | $76M | |
| 2021-12-14 | Frost/FreezeCowlitz County and Skamania County · forecast zone South Washington Cascades | 1 | 1 | $22K |
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 Washington?
Washington'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 | Washington | United States | Washington's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 13 | 5,539 | 0.23% |
| 2000s | 39 | 14,792 | 0.26% |
| 2010s | 25 | 18,162 | 0.14% |
| 2020-26 | 75 | 15,329 | 0.49% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent extreme cold records in Washington
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-23 | Frost/FreezeKittitas County and Yakima County · forecast zone Kittitas Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-17 | Frost/FreezeColumbia County and Walla Walla County · forecast zone Blue Mountain Foothills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-17 | Frost/FreezeKittitas County and Yakima County · forecast zone Kittitas Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-01-12 | Cold/Wind ChillKing County · forecast zone Seattle And Vicinity | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-12-27 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLincoln County and Spokane County · forecast zone Spokane Area | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-12-14 | Frost/FreezeCowlitz County and Skamania County · forecast zone South Washington Cascades | 1 | 1 | $22K | |
| 2016-03-26 | Cold/Wind ChillLewis County and Pierce County · forecast zone Cascades Of Pierce And Lewis Counties | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2015-06-11 | Cold/Wind ChillLewis County and Pierce County · forecast zone Cascades Of Pierce And Lewis Counties | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-04-19 | Frost/FreezeChelan County and Douglas County · forecast zone Wenatchee Area | 0 | 0 | $144M | |
| 2005-04-13 | Frost/FreezeYakima County · forecast zone Yakima Valley | 0 | 0 | $76M | |
| 2005-04-12 | Frost/FreezeYakima County · forecast zone Yakima Valley | 0 | 0 | $76M | |
| 2002-11-01 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillYakima County · forecast zone E Yakima | 0 | 0 | $107M |
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
- Columbia County: the county's whole recordThe Washington county with the most extreme cold records per square mile
- Extreme cold across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in WashingtonTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Washington4,060 records
- High wind and dust storms in Washington2,210 records
- Floods in Washington832 records