Update: Cold weather injuries, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2016-June 2021

From July 2020 through June 2021, a total of 539 members of the active (n=469) and reserve (n=70) components had at least 1 medical encounter with a pri­mary diagnosis of cold injury. The crude overall incidence rate of cold injury for all active component service members in 2020–2021 (35.4 per 100,000 person-years [p-yrs]) was higher than the rate for the 2019–2020 cold season (27.5 per 100,000 p-yrs). In 2020–2021, frostbite was the most common type of cold injury among active component service members in all 4 services. Among active component members during the 2016–2021 cold seasons, overall rates of cold injuries were generally highest among male service members, non-Hispanic Black service members, the youngest (less than 20 years old), and those who were enlisted. The number of cold inju­ries associated with overseas deployments during the 2020–2021 cold season (n=10) was the lowest count during the 5-year surveillance period. Immersion foot accounted for half (n=5) of the cold weather injuries diagnosed and treated in service members deployed outside of the U.S. during the 2020–2021 cold season.