Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in West Virginia
Every extreme cold/wind chill event the National Weather Service has filed in West 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 West 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
- 465
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $7.4 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Extreme Cold and Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 18 to 20, 2015In less than a week, a second arctic front swept through West Virginia during the early afternoon hours of the 18th. Snow showers formed ahead of the front.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, January 6 to 7, 2014An arctic cold front sweep through West Virginia between midnight and 0400E on Monday the 6th. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph were common with the front. Rain showers and temperatures in the 40s and 50s quickly became snow showers with temperatures falling through the 20s by dawn.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, December 23 to 25, 2022An arctic front on the morning of December 22nd quickly swept through the central Midwest into northeast Kentucky and southeast Ohio by that evening.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, January 27 to 30, 2014Another shot of arctic air poured into West Virginia on the 27th. A clear night with diminishing winds resulted in temperatures well below zero over northern counties to around zero in the southern counties.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in West Virginia, February 14 to 16, 2015Another arctic front swept through during the afternoon of the 14th. Temperatures dropped from the upper 20s and 30s into the teens in a few hours. In the wake of the front, wind gusts of 35 to 55 mph were common well into the night. Some power outages occurred.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in West Virginia, January 20 to 31, 2026A strong Arctic outbreak settled into West Virginia for the second half of January. This was first initiated on January 20th in the wake of a cold front and a departing winter storm, followed by reinforcing shots of cold air through the last week of January.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, January 28, 2000After a clear and calm night, dawn temperatures were mostly zero to 10 below zero. The coldest readings were minus 17 from Mount Nebo, minus 16 at Kumbrabow State Forest, and minus 15 from both Glady and Hacker Valley.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, November 21 to 24, 2000Daytime high temperatures were in the 20s and 30s. Morning low readings were in the teens, with some single digits in the mountains. Preliminary data indicated 2 above zero at Snowshoe and 5 above zero at Glady. Ice formed on many small streams.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, May 19 to 22, 2002Record low temperatures were set at several locations for 4 consecutive days. Dawn readings were in the 20s and 30s. Glady was 21 degrees on the 22nd. Little damage to agriculture was noted. However, the growth of the spring vegetation was slowed.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, January 22, 2000A clear and calm night, combined with a fresh snow cover, to produce dawn temperatures mostly in the minus 5 to minus 15 degree range. Belington and Elkins had the coldest with 17 below zero. Buckhannon and West Union were minus 12.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in West Virginia, January 4 to 6, 2018Arctic air and gusty winds caused low wind chills to develop.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in West 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 and Cold in West Virginia, January 20 to 22, 2025Following the snow event ending January 20th, an anomalously deep trough settled over North America through the 22nd.
- Extreme Cold and Cold in West 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 West 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 and Cold in West 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 mountains, minimum wind chills of -20 to -30F were observed.
- Extreme Cold in West 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 valleys, minimum wind chills of -10 to -20F were observed. The coldest wind chills were overnight.
- Extreme Cold in West 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 in West Virginia, 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 in West 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 low teens. This resulted in wind chill readings from 15 to 25 degrees below zero between midnight and 10 AM.
- Extreme Cold in West 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 West Virginia, January 27 to 29, 2000High pressure was centered directly over the Mid-Atlantic region on the 28th and 29th. The combination of clear skies, calm winds, and a snowpack led to unusually cold temperatures.
- Extreme Cold in West 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 West 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 20s between 3 and 7 AM EDT.
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, January 6 to 7, 2014An arctic front moved through the Mid Atlantic and cold air moved into the region. Gusty winds and cold temperatures led to wind chill values below -20. High pressure settled across the area and led to cold conditions to continue for a few days.
More
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill everywhereEvery kind of event in West 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.