If it feels like winter cold isn’t what it used to be in the District, the data backs that up.
Winters — defined here as the stretch between the first and last freeze — are becoming shorter and generally less intense over time. That said, there are still exceptions. If you lived through the winter of 2025–2026, you know cold can still pack a punch when the pattern lines up.
Low temperature trends in winter across history
Cold mornings in Washington have become far less common over time.
In the early 1900s, the city averaged about 91 days per winter at or below freezing (32 degrees) and 42 days at or below 25 degrees. Today, those numbers have dropped to about 56 days at or below 32 and around 20 days at or below 25.
That’s a striking shift over a relatively short period, driven by a warming climate — from both greenhouse gas emissions and the growth of the urban heat island.
The historical extremes are eye-opening. The record for most subfreezing days in a winter is 116, set in multiple seasons, most recently in 1904–05. That same winter also holds the mark for days at or below 25 degrees, with 78 — a level of sustained cold that’s hard to imagine today.
Even winters that feel notably cold now don’t approach those extremes. The winter of 2025–2026, for example, logged 66 days at or below freezing and 26 days at or below 25 degrees — above modern averages, but not dramatically so in today’s warmer climate.
High temperature trends in winter across history
The same warming signal shows up in daytime highs.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, D.C. averaged about 16 days per winter with highs at or below freezing (32 degrees) and around five days at or below 25 degrees. In today’s climate, those numbers have dropped to roughly six to seven days at or below freezing and just one to two days at or below 25.
The coldest winters of the past stand out. During the winter of 1917–18, the city recorded 37 days when temperatures failed to rise above freezing — the most on record. That same season also holds the mark for highs not exceeding 25 degrees, with 19 days.
Even recent cold winters fall well short of those extremes. The winter of 2025–2026 featured 11 days with highs at or below 32 degrees and five days at or below 25 degrees — notable by modern standards, but far from historic territory.
Longest freezing streak by winter
D.C. sits far enough south that prolonged stretches of subfreezing weather, when temperatures never rise above 32 degrees, have always been relatively limited.
In the early 1900s, the average longest streak in a given winter was about five days. Today, that has shortened to roughly three days, reflecting a warming climate.
A few winters still stand out for their persistence. Two seasons, 1894–95 and 1935–36, featured streaks of 12 consecutive days with highs at or below freezing. On the other end of the spectrum, some recent winters, including 1997–98 and 2019–20, didn’t record a single day that stayed below freezing all day.
The winter of 2025–2026 was notable for bucking the modern trend. It produced a nine-day stretch of highs at or below 32 degrees — the longest such run since a 10-day streak in 1989–90. Those two winters are the only times such extended cold has occurred at the current official observing site, Reagan National Airport, which has been in use since 1945.
Length of season from first to last freeze
With less persistent and less intense cold, it follows that the span of the freeze season, from the first to last 32-degree low, has shortened over time. And that’s exactly what the data show.
Around 1900, the average freeze season in D.C. stretched just over 160 days. Today, it’s roughly 40 days shorter, reflecting a steady warming trend.
The extremes highlight the range. The longest freeze season on record was 1874–75, with 190 days between the first and last freeze. The shortest was 2009–10, at just 84 days — a winter that, notably, still delivered the snowiest season on record.
Even winters that feel long and harsh today often aren’t by historical standards. The winter of 2025–2026 ran only a bit longer than the modern average — a reminder that our perception of “cold” is shifting as winters continue to warm.
