Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996

Name: Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996
Start: 1996-02-01T00:00
End: 1996-02-04T23:59
Location: Wisconsin

February 1 to 4, 1996 · NWS MKX · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 4
Injuries: 18
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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 MKX wrote it up.

The episode of extreme cold, which started in late January, 1996, continued through the first four days of February across Southcentral and Southeast Wisconsin. Ending on the 4th, Milwaukee had a string of 73 hours below zero, while Madison registered 177 hours below the zero mark. Adding to the misery, wind chills were in the minus 35 to minus 60 degree range many times during this event. There were 4 cold-weather hypothermia deaths reported in Milwaukee county. In addition... 18 people sustained frostbite injuries... 15 of them in Milwaukee county. Numerous water main pipes burst, and fiber optic cables froze... disrupting telephone service. Schools were closed on the 2nd, and 8000 homes in Southeast Wisconsin lost electrical service on the 2nd as power companies cut back on output. Service stations and the AAA were overwhelmed with requests for assistance. New minimum temperature records follow: -26 in the city of Fond du Lac (daily record) on the 2nd, -24 in the city of Waukesha (new Feb record) on the 2nd, -20 in the city of Milwaukee (daily record) on the 2nd, -29 in West Bend (all-time record anytime) on the 3rd, -29 in Madison (new Feb record) on the 3rd, -25 in Sheboygan (tied Feb record) on the 3rd, -23 in the city of Racine (daily record) on the 3rd, -26 in the city Milwaukee (new daily record and tied all-time record anytime) on the 3rd, and -19 in the city of Milwaukee (daily record) on the 4th.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Marquette

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.820, -89.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Green Lake

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Green Lake forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.800, -89.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Fond du Lac

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Fond du Lac forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.754, -88.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sheboygan

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sheboygan forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sauk

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sauk forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Columbia

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Dodge

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Washington

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ozaukee

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Ozaukee forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Iowa

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Iowa forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 43.001, -90.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Dane

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dane forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Waukesha

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Deaths: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 15 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lafayette

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lafayette forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.661, -90.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Green

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Green forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Rock

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Walworth

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Racine

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Racine forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Kenosha

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (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, Milwaukee	1996-02-03	21	Female	Other	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee	1996-02-04	35	Female	Other	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee	1996-02-03	74	Male	Permanent Home	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee	1996-02-04	26	Male	Outside/Open Areas	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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5541866, 5541867, 5541868, 5541869, 5541870, 5541871, 5541872, 5541873, 5541874, 5541875, 5541876, 5541877, 5541878, 5541879, 5541880, 5541881, 5541882, 5541883, 5541884, 5541885.