Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in California
Every extreme cold/wind chill event the National Weather Service has filed in California, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
The most significant on the map
The most significant extreme cold/wind chill episodes in California.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 119
- Deaths
- 4
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- $2.0 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Extreme Cold in California, January 16, 2013A prolonged stretch of cold weather across the area brought numerous consecutive days with morning low temperatures at or below freezing across the area.
- Extreme Cold in California, January 28 to 31, 2002Record cold temperatures following the cold Pacific Storm lingered over Southwest California for several days. Water pipes froze and burst, vegetable and ornamental crops were badly damaged, and homeless shelters filled to capacity.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 4 to 6, 2022Climbing conditions were dangerous on Mount Shasta beginning June 4th and continuing through June 5th. It was windy and icy on the mountain during that interval. Three climbers were removed from the mountain at 06/0839 PDT. Two of them were injured and one died.
- Debris Flows and Flooding in California, April 6 to 8, 2017A potent upper level trough with associated cold front moved through on April 6th causing roadway flooding, gusty winds over both land and sea, as well as strong swells which sunk a Bart Barge over the SF Bay.
- Extreme Cold and Heavy Snow in California, February 21 to 25, 2022A potent trough of low pressure from the Pacific brought cold weather across the region. Our region also saw some lower elevation snowfall with higher elevations receiving over one foot of snow.
- Extreme Cold in California, February 1 to 3, 2002Cold air brought in by a late January storm, lingered over the region for several more days. Most of the freezing damage had been done in the first few nights of the cold snap. Frost and freezing temperatures were reported over the coastal plain.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 12 to 13, 2001A Frost Warning was issued this night for the above zones. The warning was cancelled at 0415 PDT on 06/13 for zones CAZ080/081/082. This cancellation appears to have been appropriate, but one key station in zone CAZ081 did report a low of 34 degrees.
- Extreme Cold in California, December 5 to 11, 2009A frigid Arctic air mass moved into Oregon December 5th and remained over the area through December 12th, when it finally abated as a Pacific system approached the area.
- Extreme Cold in California, January 22 to 25, 2002Overnight low temperatures in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley citrus locations plunged to the 25-29 degree F. range causing widespread agricultural protective measures on the mornings of the 23rd and 24th.
- Extreme Cold in California, February 1 to 6, 2002Continuing into the month of February from late January, Interior Central California had a period of very low temperatures that threatened late season citrus. No major damage was reported by local agricultural commissioners in regard to the low temperatures.
- Extreme Cold in California, January 29 to 31, 2002Following the reports of snow on the San Joaquin Valley floor and with cleared skies, residing cold air became a threat to local citrus growers. For the period from late January 29th through the morning of February 6th.
- Extreme Cold in California, January 15 to 20, 2002Another typical weather event of an extended period of a freeze threat and temperatures low enough to concern local agricultural interests occurred on the mornings of the 16th through the 20th.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 3 to 4, 2001A Frost Warning was issued for this night. Reported low temperatures ranged from 32 to 38. No frost was reported, but it likely did form this night.
- Extreme Cold in California, September 6 to 7, 2001A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones this night. Reported low temperatures ranged from 31 to 40, with most stations reporting low temperatures in the 35 to 40 range. No frost was reported, but it likely did form this night, as conditions were favorable for frost.
- Extreme Cold in California, October 9 to 10, 2001A Frost Warning was issued this night for the above zones. Reported low temperatures ranged from 28 to 36. No frost was reported, but it likely did occur.
- Extreme Cold in California, October 8 to 9, 2001A Frost Warning was issued this night for the above zones. Reported low temperatures ranged from 28 to 37 degrees. No reports were received, but conditions were favorable for frost development this night and it likely did form.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 7 to 8, 2002A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones at the above times. Reported low temperatures ranged from 27 to 34, so it is likely that the warning verified.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 8 to 9, 2002A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones at the above times. Reported lows ranged from 31 to 32, so it is likely that the warning verified.
- Extreme Cold in California, May 31, 2000A major freeze occurred on the morning of 05/31/00 with no warning issued. The Klamath Falls Herald and News reported extensive damage to area crops, especially sugar beets. Beet damage ranged from moderate to a total loss.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 8 to 9, 2000A Frost Warning was issued for the zones listed above at the time listed above. Reported low temperatures were a bit too warm, but some frost may have formed in the northern parts of the warning area since lows in Southern Oregon were cold enough to support frost…
- Extreme Cold in California, June 1, 2000A Freeze Warning was issued for Eastern Siskiyou County and most of Modoc County at 1015 PDT on 05/31/00. Freezing temperatures were observed at a few locations. The reported low temperatures and normals are listed below:Location Zone Normal Low Reported Low DepartureMt.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 1, 2000A Frost Warning was issued for CAZ080 (Western Siskiyou County) and CAZ081 (Central Siskiyou County) at 1015 PDT on 05/31/00 and cancelled at 0225 PDT on 06/01/00. However, this cancellation may have been premature as lows in the middle 30s were reported in the warning area.
- Extreme Cold in California, June 10 to 11, 2000A Frost Warning was issued for the zone listed above at the time listed above. Reported low temperatures were cold enough to support frost formation, but no frost was reported. Station Zone Low TemperatureMt.
- Extreme Cold in California, July 3 to 4, 2000A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones. Reported low temperatures were mostly in the 30s, so frost likely occurred this night...although none was reported.
- Extreme Cold in California, September 21, 2000A Frost Warning was issued for the above areas at 15:05 PDT on 09/22/00 but it was cancelled at 21:36 PDT because of forecast winds and cloud cover. Low temperatures this night were in the 40s in these California zones, so it was likely that little or no frost occurred.
More
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill everywhereEvery kind of event in California
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.