Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in Ohio
Every extreme cold/wind chill event the National Weather Service has filed in Ohio, 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 Ohio.
- 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
- 440
- Deaths
- 10
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $20 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Ohio, December 23 to 24, 2022A long-duration, multi-faceted winter storm hit northern Ohio just before Christmas 2022 with extreme cold, strong winds, accumulating snow and extensive blowing and drifting of the snow that fell.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 30 to 31, 2019A strong low pressure system moved through the Great Lakes region on the morning of January 29 and departed into Canada.
- Extreme Cold and Winter Weather in Ohio, January 6 to 7, 2014An arctic cold front sweep through southeast Ohio just after midnight on Monday the 6th. Rain showers and temperatures in the 40s quickly became snow showers with temperatures falling through the 20s by the predawn hours.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Ohio, February 1 to 11, 2026A period of extremely cold temperatures that began in late January spilled into the first week of February amid a cold airmass dominating the bulk of the country.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, April 29, 2012An area of strong high pressure was centered over the upper Ohio Valley on the morning of April 29th. Clear skies and calm winds allowed for very cold low temperatures.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, December 21 to 22, 2008A bitter cold snap claimed the life of a Greene county woman.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, February 4 to 6, 2009A cold snap claimed the life of a woman in Butler county.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 15 to 16, 2009A bitter cold snap caused a man to freeze to death in Hamilton county.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, May 20, 2002Record cold morning lows in the upper 20s severely damaged the grape crop in Lake and northern Ashtabula counties. Around 60 percent of the chardonnay grape crop was destroyed by the late season freeze.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 27 to 30, 2014Arctic air poured into southeast Ohio on the 27th. A clear night with diminishing winds resulted in temperatures mostly in the minus 5 to minus 20 degree range across southeast Ohio.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, April 6, 2000The temperature at Walnut Creek fell to 27 degrees shortly before daybreak. Several large orchards near Walnut Creek suffered severe crop damage. Approximately 50 percent of the apple crop and 20 percent of the peach crop was destroyed.
- Extreme Cold and Winter Weather in Ohio, February 18 to 20, 2015In less than a week, a second arctic front swept through southeast Ohio during the late morning hours of the 18th. Snow showers formed ahead of the front, with a few bands lingering during the afternoon in its wake.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, December 22 to 24, 2022A cold front crossed the Ohio Valley Thursday evening, with plummeting temperatures and strong winds. Sustained 20 to 30 mph winds had higher gusts of 35 to 45 mph.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 15 to 18, 2009A strong area of arctic high pressure moved from the Northern Plains on on January 15th to the Upper Ohio Valley by late in the day on January 16th. The high eventually shifted east of the area on the 17th. Very cold temperatures accompanied this high.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Ohio, March 27, 2012Record warm temperatures occurred across northern Ohio during the middle portion of March. Daily temperatures averaged as much as 30 degrees above normal during that period. All of the major climate locations reported high temperatures in the 80s for several days.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 6 to 7, 2014A strong area of deepening low pressure moved up the Ohio Valley on January 5th. This low moved across northwestern Pennsylvania early on the 6th and then continued rapidly northeast.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 27 to 28, 2014Low pressure tracked across the northern Great Lakes on January 26 and 27th, pulling an arctic cold front east across the area during the early morning hours of January 27th.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 30, 2019An arctic airmass was pushed into the Ohio Valley behind a cold front. Sub-zero temperatures reached the lower teens in some areas and combined with wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph, creating wind chills from 20 to 40 below zero.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, February 15 to 16, 2015An area of arctic high pressure moved from Canada to the western Great Lakes on February 15th. Very cold air surged into northern Ohio in response to this high and was accompanied by strong north to northwest winds.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, December 23 to 24, 2022A strong low pressure system, accompanied by an arctic cold front, swept through the Ohio Valley late in the evening of December 22nd into the morning of the 23rd.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, February 20, 2015For the second time in a week, bitterly cold weather and dangerous wind chills were reported across the area. The coldest temperatures since the January 1994 arctic outbreak were reported across Northeast Ohio.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 5 to 7, 2014An arctic cold front crossed the Upper Ohio Valley on the 6th, bringing record low temperatures and extreme wind chills the morning of the 7th. It was the coldest January 7th on record in Pittsburgh with a low temperature of 9 below zero, and a high temperature of 4 above zero.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Ohio, January 20 to 22, 2025Following the snow event ending January 20th, an anomalously deep trough settled over North America through the 22nd. Temperatures plunged well below normal by the morning of the 21st, with lows in the zero to 10 below range, and wind chill in the -10F to -20F range.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, November 21 to 24, 2000A cold spell, around Thanksgiving, kept daytime high temperatures in the 30s. Overnight low readings of 10 to 15 degrees were common.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 28, 2000Dawn readings were mostly zero to minus 5. The coldest was minus 9 from near Carpenter of western Meigs County.
More
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill everywhereEvery kind of event in Ohio
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.