Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in Maine
Every extreme cold/wind chill event the National Weather Service has filed in Maine, 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 Maine.
- 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
- 382
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Extreme Cold and Winter Weather in Maine, February 3 to 4, 2023An Arctic cold front crossed the region during the early morning hours of the 3rd. Temperatures rapidly fell through the 3rd in the wake of the front.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 3 to 4, 2023Early on the 2nd a tropopause polar vortex (TPV) was dislodged from its position over Hudson Bay. Over time temperatures within the TPV had become very cold, with mid level temperatures around -40 degrees Celsius.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 13 to 15, 2000Strong winds ushered in cold air as an intense area of low pressure moved east of New England and high pressure built southeastward from southern Canada. The combination of the wind and cold air produced extreme wind chill temperatures across the state.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 21 to 22, 2000Low pressure in the Gulf of Maine intensified rapidly as it moved slowly northward through the Canadian Maritimes. The pressure gradient between the low and a ridge of high pressure over the central and eastern U.S.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 17 to 18, 2000Low pressure moving eastward from southern Quebec intensified near Nova Scotia, then slowly moved northeastward as high pressure moved eastward from south-central Canada.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, December 25 to 26, 2000Low pressure moving northeast and intensifying off the New England coast caused strong winds to develop over the state. The strong northwest winds brought arctic air into the area Christmas day.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 11, 2001Strong winds developed across the state as a deep low pressure center moved eastward through the Canadian Maritimes and an arctic dome of high pressure dropped southeastward from central Canada.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 17 to 18, 2001The combination of wind and cold temperatures behind an arctic cold front caused wind chill temperatures across western and central Maine to drop to 20 to 35 degrees below zero in many locations.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 14 to 18, 2009Arctic air overspread all of northern and eastern Maine during the 14th and remained across the region into the 18th. During this time overnight low temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees below zero were common across northern Maine...with local temperatues of 45 to 50 below zero.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, December 30 to 31, 2013Arctic high pressure began to build across the region from the overnight hours of the 30th into the 31st. This was the start of an extended interval of extremely cold temperatures which persisted into early January.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 20 to 27, 2013An arctic cold front crossed the region during the afternoon of the 20th bringing the coldest air of the season to northern and eastern Maine. The arctic air then remained into the 27th. The coldest temperatures of the arctic outbreak occurred during the morning of the 22nd.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 1 to 4, 2014Arctic high pressure which had begun to build across the region during late December persisted into early January. Temperatures from the 1st into the morning of the 4th averaged 25 to 40 degrees below normal.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 14 to 15, 2000The coldest air of the winter season to date overspread the region and was accompanied by sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph...with higher gusts.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 10 to 11, 2001Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph...with some gusts in excess of 60 mph...combined with temperatures falling into the single digits above and below zero to produce dangerous wind chillsof 55 to 65 below zero across central and northern Maine...with wind chills of 45 to 55…
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 27 to 28, 2000Low pressure moved slowly northward from just south of Nova Scotia on the morning of the 27th to the Gulf of St. Lawrence by the morning of the 28th.
- Winter Storm and Extreme Cold in Maine, January 14 to 15, 2022Intense low pressure tracked east of the Gulf of Maine...toward Nova Scotia...from the 14th into the 15th. Snow developed during the afternoon of 14th and persisted into the early morning hours of the 15th.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 24, 2026An Arctic cold front crossed the region through the 23rd. Arctic air overspread the region through the 23rd into the 24th in the wake of the front. Gusty winds also developed between intensifying low pressure to the east and high pressure building from the west.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 7 to 8, 2015Arctic air and gusty winds produced dangerous wind chills across northern Maine from the evening of the 7th through the morning of the 8th. Temperatures of 15 to 25 below zero combined with winds of 10 to 20 mph to produce wind chills of 35 to 45 below zero.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 14, 2016Dangerous wind chill temperatures occurred across the region during the morning of the 14th. Air temperatures of 10 to 20 below zero combined with winds of 10 to 20 mph to produce wind chills of 35 to 40 below zero.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, December 25 to 26, 2000Strong gusty winds and temperatures falling through the single digits above zero to the single digits below zero combined to produce wind chills of 45 to 55 below zero.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 17 to 18, 2001Gusty northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph combined with temperatures falling below zero to producewind chills between 45 and 55 below zero at times.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 16 to 17, 2015Very cold temperatures along with gusty winds produced dangerous wind chills across northern Maine from the evening of the 16th into the morning of the 17th.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, December 16, 2016Gusty northwest winds combined with air temperatures of around zero to 15 below zero to produce wind chills of 35 to 40 below zero.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, January 11, 2022Air temperatures of 15 to 25 below zero...with winds of 10 to 15 mph...combined to produce wind chill readings of 35 to 45 below zero during the morning of the 11th.
- Extreme Cold in Maine, February 21 to 22, 2001Gusty northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph combined with temperatures falling into the teens belowzero to produce wind chills of 60 to 70 below zero at times.
More
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill everywhereEvery kind of event in Maine
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.