Cold/Wind Chill, Central St. Louis
- When
- February 2, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Central St. Louis forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Minnesota, February 2, 1996
The community of Tower in northeast Minnesota reached a low of -60F, breaking the all-time record low temperature for the state of Minnesota. The previous state record was -59 set twice, the first time in 1899 at Leech Lake Dam and again in 1903 at Pokegama Dam.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
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 DLH wrote it up.
The community of Tower in northeast Minnesota reached a low of -60F, breaking the all-time record low temperature for the state of Minnesota. The previous state record was -59 set twice, the first time in 1899 at Leech Lake Dam and again in 1903 at Pokegama Dam. The cold snap lasted from January 30 through February 4. Other near-record lows that morning included -47 at Brainerd, -45 at International Falls, and -39 at Duluth.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
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 North Carolina, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Louisiana, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Tennessee, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Cold in Ohio, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Mississippi, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 2, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Flash Flood in Alabama, February 2, 1996
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5583134.