Cold/Wind Chill, Emmet
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Emmet forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Iowa, December 23 to 24, 1996
The seasons first real blast of Arctic air moved into the state as a strong cold front dropped southeast across Iowa. Behind the cold front, strong northwest winds of 20 to 40 MPH combined with temperatures below zero combined to produce wind chill values in the -40 to -55 degree range for nearly 24 hours.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 15 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 15
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.
The seasons first real blast of Arctic air moved into the state as a strong cold front dropped southeast across Iowa. Behind the cold front, strong northwest winds of 20 to 40 MPH combined with temperatures below zero combined to produce wind chill values in the -40 to -55 degree range for nearly 24 hours. Though there were no real problems associated with the bitter cold, it did provide Iowans a first taste of what's to come.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
15 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Kossuth
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kossuth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.204, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Winnebago
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Winnebago forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Worth
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Worth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.377, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Palo Alto
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Palo Alto forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.082, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hancock
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Cerro Gordo
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cerro Gordo forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pocahontas
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pocahontas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Humboldt
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Humboldt forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wright
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wright forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.733, -93.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.733, -93.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Sac
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sac forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.386, -95.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Calhoun
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Calhoun forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.385, -94.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Webster
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Webster forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton
- When
- December 23, 6:00 PM CST to December 24, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, December 23 to 24, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 23, 1996
- Tornado in California, December 23, 1996
- Ice Storm in Wisconsin, December 23, 1996
- Winter Weather in Vermont, December 23, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, December 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, December 23, 1996
- Cold in Nebraska, December 23 to 24, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 23 to 24, 1996
- Cold in Nebraska, December 23 to 24, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 23 to 24, 1996
- Tornado in California, December 23, 1996
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, December 1996
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5570567, 5570568, 5570569, 5570570, 5570571, 5570572, 5570573, 5570574, 5570575, 5570576, 5570577, 5570578, 5570579, 5570580, 5570581.