Cold in Wisconsin, January 29 to 31, 1996

Name: Cold in Wisconsin, January 29 to 31, 1996
Start: 1996-01-29T16:00
End: 1996-01-31T23:59
Location: Wisconsin

January 29 to 31, 1996 · NWS ARX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A bitter cold arctic high pressure area covered most of the region during the last few days of the month and into early February. Temperatures were kept well below zero throughout this period.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
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 ARX wrote it up.

A bitter cold arctic high pressure area covered most of the region during the last few days of the month and into early February. Temperatures were kept well below zero throughout this period. Minimum temperatures of -20 to -35 were common, with extremes of -39 at Fountain City, -46 at Cataract, -42 at Gays Mills, and -40 at Lynxville on the 31st.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Cold/Wind Chill, Taylor

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Taylor forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.212, -90.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Clark

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.735, -90.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Buffalo

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.380, -91.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Trempealeau

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Trempealeau forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.304, -91.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.319, -90.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, La Crosse

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: La Crosse forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.907, -91.115 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Monroe

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.946, -90.618 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Vernon

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Vernon forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.594, -90.834 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Crawford

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.240, -90.931 (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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, January 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: 5537749, 5537750, 5537751, 5537752, 5537753, 5537754, 5537755, 5537756, 5537757.