Cold/Wind Chill, Polk
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.461, -92.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996
Extremely cold air settled over the region on January 31st, and continued through February 4th. The cold peaked the morning of February 2nd when a new record low temperature of 35 below zero was set in Eau Claire.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 9
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 MPX wrote it up.
Extremely cold air settled over the region on January 31st, and continued through February 4th. The cold peaked the morning of February 2nd when a new record low temperature of 35 below zero was set in Eau Claire. Some area schools called off class due to the extreme cold on the 2nd. A power outage affected the entire town of Clifton on the 2nd. A woman accidently locked in her garage died from exposure to the cold on February 1st in Eau Claire county.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, St. Croix
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- St. Croix forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.034, -92.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pierce
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pierce forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.720, -92.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Dunn
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dunn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.947, -91.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pepin
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pepin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.483, -92.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Chippewa
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.069, -91.280 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Eau Claire
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Eau Claire forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 44.727, -91.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Barron
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Barron forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.424, -91.848 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Rusk
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Rusk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.475, -91.133 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Eau Claire | 1996-02-01 | 80 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
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
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Mississippi, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Wyoming, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Michigan, February 1 to 6, 1996
- Cold in Montana, February 1, 1996
- Ice Storm in Mississippi, February 1 to 2, 1996
- Cold in Ohio, February 1 to 5, 1996
- Winter Storm in Texas, February 1 to 2, 1996
- Winter Storm in Alabama, February 1 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Mississippi, February 1 to 3, 1996
- Ice Storm in Louisiana, February 1 to 2, 1996
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, 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: 5541266, 5541267, 5541268, 5541269, 5541270, 5541271, 5541272, 5541273, 5541274.