PlainHazard

Wyoming extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 22 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 591 extreme cold records in Wyoming from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 29 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 1, 1996 cold/wind chill: 1 death and $47,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Wyoming ranks 32nd of 51 states and territories by count and 42nd of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Wyoming, 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
5911996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
29average
Deaths
20 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$366Kas filed
Busiest year
1996102 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 Wyoming?

Wyoming averages about 29 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 32nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (102). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Wyoming records 61 extreme cold records since 1996, 42nd 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. 42. Wyoming 61

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 Wyoming have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Laramie County leads Wyoming: 30 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 11.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Albany County has the most cold records (115 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. Laramie County 11.2 (69)
  2. Albany County 10.1 (115)
  3. Goshen County 8.5 (19)
  4. Converse County 7.3 (39)
  5. Platte County 7.2 (22)
  6. Hot Springs County 7.0 (20)
  7. Washakie County 5.8 (18)
  8. Niobrara County 5.3 (14)
  9. Carbon County 4.8 (98)
  10. Weston County 4.2 (22)
  11. Lincoln County 3.7 (36)
  12. Big Horn County 3.5 (14)

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 Wyoming?

61% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (227 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 227 · Feb 135 · Mar 36 · Apr 12 · May 0 · Jun 1 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 34 · Nov 17 · Dec 129 (records).

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

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Wyoming?

Wyoming: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1996-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillBuffalo Foothills · forecast zone Buffalo Foothills Low temperatures dropped to between 10 below zero and 45 below zero during this time across the state. On the 1st, strong winds lowered wind chill temperatures to as low as 60 below zero in some locations. Some young livestock were frozen. The cold also froze many pipes and caused some water lines to break or leak. A ... 1 0 $47K
2016-12-17 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPark County · forecast zone Cody Foothills An elderly man froze to death in his home, about 12 miles southwest of Cody, Wyoming. Temperatures outside were around -10 degrees on the morning of the 17th. 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 Wyoming

Wyoming: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-06-06 Cold/Wind ChillGoshen County · forecast zone Goshen 0 0 $272K
1996-02-01 Cold/Wind ChillBuffalo Foothills · forecast zone Buffalo Foothills 1 0 $47K

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 Wyoming?

Wyoming'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: Wyoming and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeWyomingUnited StatesWyoming's share
1996-991145,5392.1%
2000s2014,7920.1%
2010s17618,1621.0%
2020-2628115,3291.8%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Wyoming

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillConverse County · forecast zone Converse County Lower Elevations 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillNiobrara County · forecast zone Niobrara County 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPlatte County · forecast zone East Platte County 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone South Laramie Range 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAlbany County · forecast zone Laramie Valley 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCarbon County · forecast zone Central Carbon County 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone Shirley Basin 0 0 –
2026-01-25 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillPlatte County · forecast zone East Platte County 0 0 –
2025-02-19 Cold/Wind ChillConverse County · forecast zone Converse County Lower Elevations 0 0 –
2025-01-20 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillFremont County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper Green River Basin 0 0 –
2025-01-20 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillFremont County · forecast zone Wind River Basin 0 0 –
2025-01-20 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWeston County · forecast zone Newcastle 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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