Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in Virginia
Every extreme cold/wind chill event the National Weather Service has filed in Virginia, 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 Virginia.
- 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
- 261
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $100,000
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 27 to 29, 2000High pressure was located directly over the Mid-Atlantic region between the 27th and 29th. The combination of clear skies, calm winds, and a snowpack led to extremely cold temperatures .
- Extreme Cold and High Wind in Virginia, December 23 to 24, 2022In advance of the arrival of a strong, cold Arctic high pressure system, northwest winds were strong to damaging across the region with gusts within the 58 to 64 mph range during the morning of the 23rd.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 6 to 7, 2014An arctic cold front sweep through far western Virginia between 0200E and 0400E on Monday the 6th. Rain showers and temperatures in the 40s and 50s quickly became snow showers with temperatures falling through the 20s by dawn. Snow accumulations were less than 2 inches.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, January 20 to 23, 2025Arctic air moved in behind a departing low pressure system on January 20. This Arctic air remained overhead as high pressure dominated through January 23.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 23 to 31, 2026A rather anomalous Arctic Outbreak settled in ahead of the January 25th Winter Storm with reinforcing shots through the last week of January. The remarkable aspect of this outbreak was the duration, especially for the Mid-Atlantic.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, February 1 to 2, 2026A rather anomalous Arctic Outbreak continued into the first couple days of February. The remarkable aspect of this outbreak was the duration, as it extends well back into January. For the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Highlands, minimum wind chills of -20 to -30F were observed.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, February 7 to 9, 2026Another shot of Arctic Air spilled in February 7th through February 9th. For the mountains, minimum wind chills of -20 to -30F were observed. For the Shenandoah Valley and portions of Northern Virginia, minimum wind chills of -5 to -20F were observed.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, January 4 to 6, 2018Arctic air and gusty winds caused low wind chills to develop.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 21, 2000During the morning of the 21st, northwest winds were blowing at 15 to 30 MPH. Temperatures across the region were in the teens. This resulted in wind chill readings from 10 to 25 degrees below zero between midnight and 10 AM.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 22, 2000High pressure built into the Mid-Atlantic region on January 21st. A combination of clear skies, calm winds, and a fresh snowpack led to extremely cold overnight temperatures. On the morning of the 22nd, the mercury dropped into the single digits above and below zero.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, December 22 to 23, 2000After a cold front moved across the region during the afternoon of the 22nd, northwest winds picked up to 20 to 30 MPH. Temperatures dropped into the teens which created wind chills between -10 and -20 degrees.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, April 19, 2001High pressure over the Mid-Atlantic region created calm winds and clear skies during the early morning hours of the 19th. These conditions in combination with a chilly airmass in place allowed temperatures to plummet into the mid 20s to lower 30s between 3 and 7 AM EDT.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, January 30 to 31, 2019A low pressure system moved into southeastern Canada on January 30th, with a cold front crossing through the Mid-Atlantic states. Cold temperatures and strong northwest winds followed behind the front on the night of the 30th and into the morning of the 31st.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, January 21, 2019A low pressure system moved up the eastern seaboard of the United States on January 20th, with cold temperatures and strong northwest winds funneling behind the system from the night of the 20th into the morning of the 21st.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, February 19, 2015The second major Arctic blast to affect the region within the same 7-day period surged through the region on the 18th sending temperatures to their lowest levels in over a year and by the morning of the 20th setting record low temperatures.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 12 to 13, 2011Low pressure intensified off the New England coast while high pressure approached from the Midwest. A strong gradient between these two systems caused windy conditions. The gusty winds combined with cold air for extremely low wind chills for locations near the Allegheny Front.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, February 14 to 16, 2015Strong Arctic high pressure built in across the region in the wake of a cold front, resulting in multiple days of sub-zero wind chills across mainly the higher elevations of the Blue Ridges in Virginia.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, December 23 to 25, 2022A cold northwest wind behind an arctic cold front caused wind chills to drop to around -25 to -40 degrees the day of the 23rd through the early afternoon of the 24th. Wind chills remained -25 to -35 degrees across Western Highland County into the morning of the 25th.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, January 19 to 20, 2026Arctic air behind a cold front ushered in dangerously cold wind chills of -15 to -25F for Extreme Cold areas and -10 to -18F for the Cold Weather areas. Winds gusted up to 35 mph at times.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, February 14 to 15, 2015A massive Arctic air mass spread across much of the eastern U.S. behind a strong cold front on February 14th.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 27, 2026Arctic high pressure arrived by January 27 in the wake of a departing winter storm. However, the pressure gradient between the high arriving and the low departing provided gusty winds that combined with the cold air to provide dangerously low wind chills.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 28, 2000Dawn temperatures were mostly zero to minus 5.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, November 21 to 24, 2000Daytime high temperatures were in the 30s, with overnight low readings of 10 to 15 degrees. Patchy ice formed on the small streams, which is rare for Thanksgiving.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, May 19 to 22, 2002Early morning minimum temperatures were in the 30s for 4 consecutive days. Little damage was noted to agriculture. However, the growth of the spring vegetation was slowed.
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 21 to 22, 2011Low pressure intensified was located off the New England Coast while high pressure approached from the Ohio Valley. The pressure gradient between these two systems caused breezy conditions.
More
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill everywhereEvery kind of event in Virginia
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.