Wisconsin extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 72 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,736 extreme cold records in Wisconsin from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 61 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 25, 2017 cold/wind chill in Dane County: 6 deaths across 3 records. Wisconsin ranks 13th of 51 states and territories by count and 13th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Wisconsin, 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: 1,7361996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 61average
Deaths: 9944 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $597Kas filed
Busiest year: 2008236 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 Wisconsin?

Wisconsin averages about 61 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 13th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2008 (236). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Wisconsin records 320 extreme cold records since 1996, 13th 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 Wisconsin have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Milwaukee County leads Wisconsin: 63 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 260.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Milwaukee County has the most cold records (64 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).

Milwaukee County 260.9 (64)
Ozaukee County 145.9 (34)
Kenosha County 143.5 (40)
Green Lake County 105.9 (37)
Racine County 105.2 (36)
Washington County 81.3 (36)
Marquette County 81.2 (37)
Sheboygan County 70.4 (37)
Green County 66.8 (41)
Jefferson County 64.7 (36)
Walworth County 63.0 (35)
Waukesha County 61.8 (35)

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 Wisconsin?

83% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (990 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 990 · Feb 450 · Mar 13 · Apr 24 · May 13 · Jun 21 · Jul 2 · Aug 4 · Sep 0 · Oct 1 · Nov 7 · Dec 211 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2017-12-25	Cold/Wind ChillDane County · forecast zone Dane One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Bitterly cold air and wind chill temperatures prevailed over southern WI from Christmas Day through January 6th. Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero occurred at times with low temperatures below zero for most nights. There are eight known deaths related to hypothermia. Water main breaks and frozen ...	6	0	–
1996-02-01	Cold/Wind ChillMilwaukee County · forecast zone Milwaukee One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. The episode of extreme cold, which started in late January, 1996, continued through the first four days of February across Southcentral and Southeast Wisconsin. Ending on the 4th, Milwaukee had a string of 73 hours below zero, while Madison registered 177 hours below the zero mark. Adding to the misery, wind chills ...	4	18	–
2024-01-12	Cold/Wind ChillMilwaukee County · forecast zone Milwaukee Four probable hypothermia deaths occurred from January 12-15th according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. Dangerous wind chill temperatures from 20 below to 30 below zero were observed for much of the time from early morning on January 14th until early morning on January 17th.	4	0	–
2018-01-01	Cold/Wind ChillDane County · forecast zone Dane One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Bitterly cold air and wind chill temperatures prevailed over southern WI from Christmas Day through January 6th. Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero occurred at times with low temperatures below zero for most nights. There are eight known deaths related to hypothermia. Water main breaks and frozen ...	3	0	–
2008-12-21	Cold/Wind ChillSheboygan County · forecast zone Sheboygan One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. Yet another bitter cold air mass pushed across southern Wisconsin in the wake of a winter storm. West winds of 13 to 17 knots (15 to 20 mph) with gusts to 26 to 35 knots (30 to 40 mph) generated wind chills of -20 to -34. Actual air temperatures at the start of this event ranged from -7 at Mineral Point (Iowa Co.) to ...	2	7	–
2014-01-27	Cold/Wind ChillMilwaukee County · forecast zone Milwaukee One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Another arctic cold wave affected southern Wisconsin during this period. West to northwest winds of 10-20 mph with the passage of an arctic cold front brought wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 38 below zero Fahrenheit beginning the early morning of January 27th, and not ending until the morning of January 29th. ...	2	0	–
2014-01-03	Cold/Wind ChillMilwaukee County · forecast zone Milwaukee One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Arctic air and winds of 5 to 10 mph resulted in wind chill temperatures ranging mainly from 15 below to 30 below zero across southern Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported two probable cold-related deaths, one in Milwaukee County and one in Marquette County.	2	0	–
2009-01-24	Cold/Wind ChillBrown County · forecast zone Brown One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Northwest winds between a departing cold front and an approaching high pressure system brought much colder air into the area. Low temperatures ranged from the single digits below zero from the Fox Valley east to Lake Michigan, to the teens below zero in north-central and parts of central Wisconsin. Wind chills across ...	2	0	–
1996-01-30	Cold/Wind ChillLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. After the previous day's ground blizzard, very cold arctic air poured into Southern Wisconsin on northwest winds of 10 to 25 mph. Wind chills dropped to 35 to 45 below zero. Maximum temperatures only made it to 3 above zero in Milwaukee (Milwaukee county) after overnight lows across Southern Wisconsin of 5 below to 15 ...	2	0	–
2024-12-13	Cold/Wind ChillMilwaukee County · forecast zone Milwaukee The Milwaukee County Examiner's office reported two probable hypothermia deaths. Both persons were homeless and one was found outside, while the other was found in a vacant, boarded up home. An arctic airmass had settled over the area.	2	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 Wisconsin

Wisconsin: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2016-05-15	Frost/FreezeDane County · forecast zone Dane		0	0	$307K

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 Wisconsin?

Wisconsin'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: Wisconsin and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Wisconsin	United States	Wisconsin's share
1996-99	245	5,539	4.4%
2000s	527	14,792	3.6%
2010s	541	18,162	3.0%
2020-26	423	15,329	2.8%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Wisconsin

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Damage
2026-01-26	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillVilas County · forecast zone Vilas	–
2026-01-26	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillOneida County · forecast zone Oneida	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillVernon County · forecast zone Vernon	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLa Crosse County · forecast zone La Crosse	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillMonroe County · forecast zone Monroe	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillRichland County · forecast zone Richland	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCrawford County · forecast zone Crawford	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrant County · forecast zone Grant	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillJuneau County · forecast zone Juneau	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAdams County · forecast zone Adams	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWaukesha County · forecast zone Waukesha	–
2026-01-23	Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWashington County · forecast zone Washington	–

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.