Alert archive / Wisconsin / Extreme Cold Warnings in 2026
Extreme Cold Warning 1, NWS La Crosse, WI
NWS La Crosse, WI issued this extreme cold warning at Jan 21, 2026, 11:56 AM CST for 13 counties in Wisconsin; 8 counties in Iowa; 7 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at Jan 22, 2026, 9:00 PM CST. It was in force for 15 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 21, 2026, 11:56 AM CST (17:56 UTC)
- In effect from
- Jan 22, 2026, 9:00 PM CST
- Expired
- Jan 23, 2026, 12:00 PM CST
- In force
- 15 hr
- Issued by
- NWS La Crosse, WI
All 28 counties
Allamakee County, IA, Chickasaw County, IA, Clayton County, IA, Fayette County, IA, Floyd County, IA, Howard County, IA, Mitchell County, IA, Winneshiek County, IA, Dodge County, MN, Fillmore County, MN, Houston County, MN, Mower County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Winona County, MN, Adams County, WI, Buffalo County, WI, Clark County, WI, Crawford County, WI, Grant County, WI, Jackson County, WI, Juneau County, WI, La Crosse County, WI, Monroe County, WI, Richland County, WI, Taylor County, WI, Trempealeau County, WI, Vernon County, WI
The radar
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:56 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
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 210 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 794 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 84 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 104 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this extreme cold warning went out at Jan 21, 11:44 AM CST, 12 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 11:44 AM CST, 12 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 21, 3:07 AM CST, 8 hours 49 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service La Crosse WI 307 AM CST Wed Jan 21 2026 IAZ009>011-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034-041>044- 053>055-061-221315- Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona- Mower-Fillmore-Houston-Taylor-Clark-Buffalo-Trempealeau-Jackson- La Crosse-Monroe-Juneau-Adams-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant- 307 AM CST Wed Jan 21 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northeast Iowa...southeast Minnesota...central Wisconsin...north central Wisconsin...southwest Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Snow showers with potential for a short burst of greatly reduced visibilities may occur this afternoon. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Dangerously cold conditions return to the region Thursday night through Sunday morning with wind chills of 20 to 40 degrees below zero. An Extreme Cold Watch is in effect. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Snowfall reports are appreciated. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. IAZ008-018-019-029-221315- Mitchell-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- 307 AM CST Wed Jan 21 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central Iowa and northeast Iowa. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Snow showers are expected this afternoon along with wind gusts as high as 45 mph. With new snow on the ground from recent snowfall, the combination of snowfall, strong winds, and blowing snow will lead to visibility as low as a half mile this afternoon and evening. Therefore, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from Noon today through the evening hours. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Dangerously cold conditions return to the region Thursday night through Sunday morning with wind chills of 20 to 40 degrees below zero. An Extreme Cold Watch is in effect. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Snowfall reports are appreciated. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. APF
The office that day
Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 3:03 AM CST | Winter Weather Advisory | ARX | Grant | 19 hr |
| Jan 21, 10:30 AM CST | Blizzard Warning | ARX | Chickasaw, Floyd, Mitchell | 9 hr |
Nearby
Extreme Cold Warnings in Wisconsin, 2026Extreme Cold Warnings in Iowa, 2026Extreme Cold Warnings in Minnesota, 2026Every extreme cold warning in 2026
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.