Alert archive / Minnesota / Extreme Cold Warnings in 2025

Extreme Cold Warning 1, NWS Grand Forks, ND

January 17, 202518 counties in Minnesota; 17 counties in North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this extreme cold warning at Jan 17, 2025, 2:00 PM CST for 18 counties in Minnesota; 17 counties in North Dakota. It took effect at Jan 18, 2025, 6:00 PM CST. It was in force for 66 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 17, 2025, 2:00 PM CST (20:00 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 18, 2025, 6:00 PM CST
Expired
Jan 21, 2025, 12:00 PM CST
In force
66 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
All 35 counties

Becker County, MN, Beltrami County, MN, Clay County, MN, Clearwater County, MN, Grant County, MN, Hubbard County, MN, Kittson County, MN, Lake of the Woods County, MN, Mahnomen County, MN, Marshall County, MN, Norman County, MN, Otter Tail County, MN, Pennington County, MN, Polk County, MN, Red Lake County, MN, Roseau County, MN, Wadena County, MN, Wilkin County, MN, Barnes County, ND, Benson County, ND, Cass County, ND, Cavalier County, ND, Eddy County, ND, Grand Forks County, ND, Griggs County, ND, Nelson County, ND, Pembina County, ND, Ramsey County, ND, Ransom County, ND, Richland County, ND, Sargent County, ND, Steele County, ND, Towner County, ND, Traill County, ND, Walsh County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 32 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:03 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 300 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2025-01-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2025-01-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -293 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1280 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
81 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-293 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this extreme cold warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before this extreme cold warning went out at Jan 17, 12:08 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 12:08 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 17, 5:53 AM CST, 8 hours 7 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
553 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2025

MNZ001>005-007-008-013>015-022-027-029-030-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-
024-026>030-038-039-049-052>054-181200-
West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-Roseau-West Marshall-East Marshall-
Pennington-Red Lake-East Polk-Mahnomen-West Becker-Wilkin-
West Otter Tail-Grant-Towner-Cavalier-Pembina-Benson-Ramsey-
Eastern Walsh-Eddy-Nelson-Grand Forks-Griggs-Steele-Traill-Barnes-
Cass-Ransom-Sargent-Richland-Western Walsh-
553 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2025

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern North
Dakota, west central and northwest Minnesota.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

A strong cold front will drop south today. Behind it much colder
air along with a chance for snow showers, highest near the
Canadian border. Wind gusts over 40 mph, and in some cases over 50
mph, later this morning and afternoon combined with any falling
snow will bring greatly reduced visibility.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

Hazardous wind chills this weekend through Monday. Wind chills
of -40 or lower are expected.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not anticipated today.

MNZ006-009-016-017-023-024-028-031-032-181200-
Lake Of The Woods-North Beltrami-North Clearwater-South Beltrami-
South Clearwater-Hubbard-East Becker-East Otter Tail-Wadena-
553 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2025

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of west central
and northwest Minnesota.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Strong cold front with wind gusts 40 mph or higher is expected
late morning afternoon along with chance for snow showers. Highest
chance is Lake of the Woods area.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

Hazardous wind chills this weekend through Monday. Wind chills of
-40 or lower are expected.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not anticipated today.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 17, 1:46 PM CST, 14 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 17, 1:53 PM CST, 7 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 17, 2:00 PM CST, 0 minutes before
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The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 17, 9:56 AM CSTBlizzard WarningFGFKittson8 hr
Jan 17, 9:58 AM CSTHigh Wind WarningFGFClay, Marshall, Norman, Polk, Wilkin8 hr
Jan 17, 2:00 PM CSTCold Weather AdvisoryFGFBecker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson and 9 more28 hr

Nearby

Extreme Cold Warnings in Minnesota, 2025Extreme Cold Warnings in North Dakota, 2025Every extreme cold warning in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.