California Freeze

Losses, 2024 dollars

$2.2 billion

Losses at the time

$1.4 billion

Deaths

1

The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.

• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 10 to 11, 20072 eventsAn unseasonably cold air mass moved into southern Oregon and settled in for a spell...leading to an extended freeze event along the coast. A Freeze Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 10/0333 PST, effective from 10/2200 PST through 12/0800 PST (two nights).
• Extreme Cold in Montana, January 11, 20073 eventsOn January 11, extreme wind chill values of 25 to 30 degrees below zero were experienced in portions of western Montana near the Continental Divide.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, January 11, 20076 eventsA Pacific cold front moved through Southern Montana. Close behind this front, an arctic front swept across the forecast area bringing bitterly cold temperatures.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, January 11, 20072 eventsAn arctic cold front roared across central Wyoming during the early morning hours. Snowfall of two to four inches fell in Fremont County, while heavier snow of 6 to 12 inches occured in Natrona County. Sustained north-northeast wind of 20 to 25 mph was common.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, January 11, 20072 eventsA Pacific cold front moved through North Central Wyoming. Close behind this front, an arctic front swept across the forecast area bringing bitterly cold temperatures.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 11 to 14, 200721 eventsWidespread heavy snow fell across western Colorado as a powerful Pacific storm system and cold front moved across the area.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Utah, January 11 to 13, 20076 eventsWidespread moderate to heavy snow fell across eastern Utah as a powerful Pacific storm system and cold front moved across the area.
• Extreme Cold in Idaho, January 11 to 13, 20073 eventsAn arctic cold front pushed south through southeast Idaho on January 11th allowing bitterly cold temperatures along with strong northerly winds to take over.
• Cold in Oklahoma, January 12 to 18, 20073 deaths · 3 eventsA strong arctic cold front moved through Oklahoma on the 12th, bringing with it several rounds of wintry precipitation and cold temperatures. The extreme cold took its toll on those who were outside for prolonged periods of time.
• Frost and Freeze in California, January 11 to 24, 2007$709 million · 4 eventsA relatively dry north-to-south cold-frontal passage resulted in an intrusion of very cold arctic air into Central California on the morning of Thursday, January 11th.
• Cold in California, January 11 to 24, 20071 death · 4 eventsAn intrusion of very cold arctic air into Central California began on the morning of the 11th and continued until the 24th. Minimum temperatures in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley plunged into the mid teens in the very coldest locations.
• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 11 to 12, 20072 eventsAn unseasonably cold air mass moved into southern Oregon and settled in for a spell...leading to an extended freeze event along the coast. A Freeze Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 10/0333 PST, effective from 10/2200 PST through 12/0800 PST (two nights).
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, January 12 to 14, 20076 eventsA slow moving winter storm across the Four-Corners region generated impressive mountain snows.
• Frost and Freeze in California, January 12 to 18, 2007$216 million · 9 eventsA combination of Arctic air, weak offshore flow, cold air advection, low humidity, and mostly clear nights resulted in bitterly cold mornings, huge crop losses, and extensive property damage.
• Cold in Nevada, January 12 to 17, 20071 death · 1 eventAbnormally cold temperatures in Las Vegas contributed to one death.
• Ice Storm in Texas, January 12 to 14, 2007$75,000 · 10 eventsMoisture streamed in from the southwest as an upper level storm system approached southeastern New Mexico and west Texas and combined with an Arctic airmass to produce freezing rain and freezing fog across much of the area.
• Extreme Cold in North Dakota, January 12, 200713 eventsSurface high pressure built down across the western high plains with a very cold airmass associated with it. By the morning of the 12th, temperatures fell to -18F to -28F across northeast North Dakota and the extreme northwest corner of Minnesota.
• Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 12, 20073 eventsSurface high pressure built down across the western high plains with a very cold airmass associated with it. By the morning of the 12th, temperatures fell to -18F to -28F across northeast North Dakota and the extreme northwest corner of Minnesota.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, January 12 to 14, 200714 deaths · $1.9 million · 48 eventsA strong winter storm crippled much of Oklahoma from January 12th through the 14th, spreading snow, freezing rain and sleet across the state. The snow and sleet was confined to northern and western Oklahoma.
• Winter Storm in Texas, January 12 to 14, 2007$50,000 · 8 eventsA strong arctic cold front moved through western north Texas during the morning hours of the 12th. Precipitation from an upper level storm system overran the cold air in place, with a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet the main result.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, January 12 to 14, 20073 deaths · $8,000 · 22 eventsA prolonged winter storm event occurred from January 12th through January 14th. An upper level storm system moved slowly across the region at this time. Shallow arctic air in place at the surface, was overrun by moist southerly winds.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, January 12 to 15, 2007$38 million · 25 eventsAn arctic cold front moved into northeastern Oklahoma during the late evening hours of the 11th and had finally passed through the southeastern portion of the state by the evening of the 12th.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, January 12 to 14, 20072 eventsA prolonged winter storm event occurred from January 12th through January 14th. An upper level storm system moved slowly across the region at this time. Shallow arctic air in place at the surface, was overrun by moist southerly winds.
• Ice Storm in Missouri, January 12 to 15, 20072 eventsDuring the period of January 12-15, 2007 an arctic cold front moved slowly through the region, bringing a shallow arctic airmass. The front became nearly stationary across central Illinois, while several upper level disturbances moved along the boundary.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, January 12 to 15, 200721 eventsDuring the period of January 12-15, 2007 an arctic cold front moved slowly through the region, bringing a shallow arctic airmass. The front became nearly stationary across central Illinois, while several upper level disturbances moved along the boundary.
• Extreme Cold in Idaho, January 12, 20071 eventOn January 12, bitterly cold temperatures accompanied by wind forced the closure of Leadore Schools in eastern Lemhi County.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 12 to 15, 200713 eventsDuring the period of January 12-15, 2007 an arctic cold front moved slowly through the region, bringing a shallow arctic airmass. The front became nearly stationary across central Illinois, while several upper level disturbances moved along the boundary.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, January 12 to 14, 200723 eventsAn arctic cold front stormed across NE Kansas, which brought freezing surface temperatures to this part of the state. The cold air aloft was slow to follow, which left a nose of warm air a few thousand feet off the surface.
• Ice Storm in Illinois, January 12 to 13, 20071 death · 13 eventsA winter storm spread freezing rain into west central Illinois during the afternoon hours of February 12th.
• Ice Storm in Missouri, January 12 to 14, 2007$353 million · 26 eventsOne of the greatest disasters to ever impact southwest Missouri, including the Springfield metro area, occurred in the form of an ice storm. Several counties, mainly along and north of the interstate 44 corridor, experienced ice accumulations up to two and a half inches.
• Ice Storm in Kansas, January 12 to 14, 20073 eventsOne of the greatest disasters to ever impact southwest Missouri, including the Springfield metro area, occurred in the form of an ice storm. Several counties, mainly along and north of the interstate 44 corridor, experienced ice accumulations up to two and a half inches.
• Ice Storm in New Mexico, January 12 to 14, 20071 eventMoisture streamed in from the southwest as an upper level storm system approached southeastern New Mexico and west Texas and combined with an Arctic airmass to produce freezing rain and freezing fog across much of the area.|The combination of these two phenomena resulted in a…
• Ice Storm in Texas, January 12 to 15, 200713 injured · $371,000 · 24 eventsAn arctic cold front moved through West Central Texas on Friday the 12th. Light freezing rain and drizzle developed behind the front as temperatures quickly dropped to below freezing.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, January 12 to 14, 20072 deaths · 68 injured · $730,000 · 22 eventsA bitterly cold arctic air mass moved into the South Plains region of west Texas during the daytime hours on the 12th.
• Winter Storm in Arkansas, January 12 to 15, 2007$150,000 · 4 eventsAn arctic cold front moved into northwestern Arkansas during the morning hours of the 12th and continued to move through the region during the day.
• Ice Storm in Missouri, January 12 to 14, 2007$2.4 million · 23 eventsAn arctic boundary settled south of the area on the 12th and 13th of January bringing subfreezing temperatures to the northwestern half of the county warning area. Three rounds of precipitation occurred during this period, with the first being the most destructive of all.
• Ice Storm in Illinois, January 12 to 14, 200714 eventsAn arctic boundary settled south of the area on the 12th and 13th of January bringing subfreezing temperatures to the northwestern half of the county warning area. Three rounds of precipitation occurred during this period, with the first being the most destructive of all.
• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 13, 20072 eventsAn unseasonably cold air mass moved into southern Oregon and settled in for a spell...leading to an extended freeze event along the coast. A Freeze Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 10/0333 PST, effective from 10/2200 PST through 12/0800 PST (two nights).
• Frost and Freeze in California, January 14 to 15, 2007$26 million · 3 eventsA very cold arctic airmass settled over the region and temperatures in the Central Valley of California dropped sharply for a relatively prolonged period of time. Many temperature records were tied and broken during the episode and the damage to area crops was extensive.
• Cold in Texas, January 14 to 15, 200719 eventsAn upper low moved out of the Rockies and into the Central Plains states which ushered in cold arctic air on strong northerly winds. This resulted in some dangerously cold wind chill values across most of the Texas panhandle.
• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 14, 20072 eventsAn unseasonably cold air mass moved into southern Oregon and settled in for a spell...leading to an extended freeze event along the coast. A Freeze Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 10/0333 PST, effective from 10/2200 PST through 12/0800 PST (two nights).
• Frost and Freeze in California, January 14, 20072 eventsVery cold air spread across Southeast California during the weekend of January 14, 2007. Record lows on the 14th included 21 at Imperial CA and 25 at Blythe CA.
• Frost and Freeze in Arizona, January 14 to 15, 20072 eventsVery cold air spread across Southeast California and Arizona during the weekend of January 14, 2007. The coldest 2 consecutive mornings since December of 1978 occurred at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport when the minimum temperature dropped to 29 degrees on January 14 and 15.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, January 14 to 15, 2007$325,000 · 15 eventsA synoptic low pressure system brought snow to central lower Michigan and freezing rain to southern lower Michigan. Storm total snowfall reached six inches across much of central Michigan and freezing rain resulted in significant ice accumulations of 0.3 to 0.5.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, January 14 to 15, 20072 deaths · 3 injured · 11 eventsSnow, primarily associated with low pressure aloft, produced heavy accumulations over northwest Iowa. The snow fell from the afternoon of January 14th into the early morning of January 15th.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 14 to 15, 20072 eventsSnow, primarily associated with low pressure aloft, produced heavy accumulations over extreme northeast Nebraska. The snow fell from the afternoon of January 14th into the predawn hours of January 15th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Dakota, January 14 to 15, 20078 eventsSnow, primarily associated with an upper level low pressure system, produced heavy accumulations over extreme southeast South Dakota, with lesser accumulations over a small part of southeast South Dakota adjacent to the heavy snow.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Minnesota, January 14 to 15, 20077 eventsSnow, primarily associated with low pressure aloft, produced heavy accumulations over part of southwest Minnesota including the Worthington, Windom, and Jackson areas.
• Ice Storm in Illinois, January 14 to 15, 20071 eventA period of freezing rain caused around one quarter of an inch of ice over Stark county.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 14 to 15, 2007$2.0 million · 14 eventsA strong and developing low pressure system lifted northeast out of the Plains and tracked across northwest Ohio and eventually into upstate New York.
• Ice Storm in Michigan, January 14 to 15, 20071 injured · 4 eventsLow level temperatures climbed above freezing in a strong overrunning setup. A shallow layer of below freezing surface temperatures existed across far southern Lower Michigan. Reports of one quarter to one half inch of freezing rain was reported.
• Ice Storm in Indiana, January 14 to 15, 20073 eventsLow level temperatures climbed above freezing in a strong overrunning setup. A shallow layer of below freezing surface temperatures existed across far northern Indiana, along and north of the Indiana Toll Road.
• Ice Storm in Ohio, January 14 to 15, 20072 eventsLow level temperatures climbed above freezing in a strong overrunning setup. A shallow layer of below freezing surface temperatures existed across portions of far northern Ohio. Reports of one quarter to one half inch of freezing rain was reported.
• Winter Storm in New York, January 14 to 15, 2007$600,000 · 6 eventsLow pressure centered over southern Indiana tracked northeast and spread freezing rain across the area. Up to a half-inch of ice accumulated on trees and wires. The weight brought down some power lines with outages scattered throughout the area.
• Ice Storm in New York, January 14 to 15, 20073 deaths · 14 eventsA low pressure system moved northeast into the Ohio Valley and spread a mix of snow and sleet into upstate New York after midnight on the 15th. The snow and sleet changed to freezing rain across most of the area during the morning.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, January 14 to 15, 20073 eventsA low pressure system from the Plains tracked through the Ohio Valley and then the eastern Great Lakes. Several disturbances in the upper atmosphere provided rounds of snow well to the northwest of the low.
• Winter Storm in New York, January 15, 2007$45,000 · 8 eventsSurface low pressure traveled along a stationary boundary draped across northern New York on the 15th.
• Ice Storm in New York, January 15 to 16, 200721 eventsA low pressure system over the midwest moved east, reaching south central New York State around midday on Monday, January 15th, and then moved off the southern New England coast by Monday evening.
• Cold in Nebraska, January 15, 200720 eventsArctic air spilled south across a fresh snow cover this day, with actual temperatures dropping to around zero to 10 below by daybreak on 1/15/07.
• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 15, 20072 eventsAn unseasonably cold air mass moved into southern Oregon and settled in for a spell...leading to an extended freeze event along the coast. A Freeze Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 10/0333 PST, effective from 10/2200 PST through 12/0800 PST (two nights).
• Winter Storm in Vermont, January 15, 2007$20,000 · 4 eventsSurface low pressure traveled along a stationary boundary draped across New England on the 15th. Snow began during the early morning hours of the 15th and eventually changed to a mix of sleet and freezing rain before ending during the early evening.
• Ice Storm in Vermont, January 15 to 16, 20073 eventsA low pressure system over the midwest moved east, reaching south central New York State around midday on Monday, January 15th, and then moved off the southern New England coast by Monday evening.
• Ice Storm in Massachusetts, January 15, 20071 eventA low pressure system over the midwest moved east, reaching south central New York State around midday on Monday, January 15th, and then moved off the southern New England coast by Monday evening.
• Ice Storm in New Hampshire, January 15, 2007$125,000 · 3 eventsLow pressure tracked from the Ohio Valley through the Mass Turnpike region of southern New England, bringing a prolonged period of freezing rain and sleet to southwest New Hampshire.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, January 15, 2007$30,000 · 5 eventsSurface low pressure traveled along a stationary boundary draped across New England on the 15th. Snow began during the early morning hours of the 15th and eventually mixed with sleet and freezing rain before ending during the evening.
• Ice Storm in Texas, January 15, 2007$30,000 · 1 eventLight freezing rain developed across portions of Northeast Texas during the morning hours of January 15th 2007. The freezing rain did not produce any significant problems except across Smith County.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, January 15, 2007$20,000 · 2 eventsSurface low pressure traveled along a stationary boundary draped across New England on the 15th. Snow began during the early morning hours of the 15th in the Connecticut River valley and mixed with sleet as it transitioned to freezing rain by midday.
• Winter Storm in Texas, January 15 to 17, 2007$1.7 million · 26 eventsCold air poured into South Central Texas on January 14 and 15 in the wake of a strong cold front, with temperatures ranging from the mid 30s to just below freezing early on the morning of January 15.
• Ice Storm in Massachusetts, January 15, 20071 injured · $15,000 · 1 eventLow pressure tracked from the Ohio Valley through the Mass Turnpike region of southern New England, bringing a prolonged period of freezing rain and sleet to portions of north central Massachusetts.
• Cold in Iowa, January 15, 20073 eventsArctic air spilled south across the area this day on top of fresh snow cover of 3 to 7 inches. Northwest winds of 10 to 20 mph and actual temperatures of zero to 9 below caused wind chill values to fall to 20 below to nearly 30 below zero.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, January 15, 20073 eventsA winter storm moved from the Ohio Valley the evening of the 14th, across southern New England on the 15th, and into the Canadian maritimes. The storm brought 4 to 8 inches of snow to the northern mountains and freezing rain to the southeastern part of the state.
• Cold in Oklahoma, January 15, 20073 eventsAn upper low moved out of the Rockies and into the Central Plains states which ushered in cold arctic air on strong northerly winds. This resulted in some dangerously cold wind chill values across the Oklahoma panhandle.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Texas, January 15 to 18, 2007$20,000 · 8 eventsAn upper level storm system over the Desert Southwest, an Arctic airmass, and moisture flowing up from the Gulf of Mexico combined for a record breaking winter storm in west Texas.
• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 16, 20072 eventsWhile a Freeze Warning was in effect for the five nights preceding this one, no warning was in effect this night. There should have been, because reported lows ranged from 23 to 42 degrees, so freezing conditions were likely widespread this night.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Texas, January 16 to 17, 200748 injured · $185,000 · 25 eventsCold air at the surface combined with shortwave energy aloft brought another round of winter weather to much of North Texas.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, January 16 to 17, 20079 injured · $47,000 · 18 eventsRight on the heels of the Ice Storm that affected the region a few days before, another surge of arctic air moved into West Central Texas on Monday the 15th.
• Ice Storm in Texas, January 16 to 17, 2007$51,000 · 18 eventsA very cold arctic air mass ascending down upon Texas, combined with southwesterly upper level disturbances, produced freezing rain across the northern and central regions of southeast Texas.
• Extreme Cold in Maine, January 16 to 17, 20075 eventsWind chills of 35 to 40 below zero occurred across the region.
• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 17, 20072 eventsAn unseasonably cold air mass moved into southern Oregon and settled in for a spell...leading to an extended freeze event along the coast. A Freeze Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022 every morning from 1/11/07 until 1/18/07...except for this night.
• Frost and Freeze in Oregon, January 18, 20072 eventsA cold air mass in place over southwest Oregon was reinforced with more cold air on 01/17, so a Freeze Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 17/1344 PST, effective from 18/0000 until 18/0900 PST.
• Ice Storm in South Carolina, January 18, 2007$15,000 · 3 eventsA minor ice storm hit portions of the upstate and pee dee counties with a 1/4 inch if ice on trees and other structures.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Texas, January 18 to 20, 2007$30,000 · 12 eventsAnother cold front and upper level storm system coincided over west Texas and southeastern New Mexico to produce another round of winter weather.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, January 18 to 20, 20075 eventsAnother cold front and upper level storm system coincided over west Texas and southeastern New Mexico to produce another round of winter weather.

Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2007Tornadoes in 2007

NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.