Cold/Wind Chill, Vilas
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Vilas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.053, -89.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Wisconsin, January 30 to 31, 1996
Bitter cold arctic air settled in across central and northeast Wisconsin as January came to a close. Record low temperatures were set in a few locations.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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
- 22
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 GRB wrote it up.
Bitter cold arctic air settled in across central and northeast Wisconsin as January came to a close. Record low temperatures were set in a few locations. On January 30th, Marshfield (Wood county) reported a record low of 30 below. On the last day of the month, Wisconsin Rapids (Wood county) set a new record low with a temperature of 25 below. The coldest readings occurred in north central Wisconsin on the 31st, with readings of 39 below at Arbor Vitae (Vilas county), 40 below at Harrison (Lincoln county) and 41 below zero at Lake Thompson (Oneida county).
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
22 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Oneida
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Oneida forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.706, -89.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Forest
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Forest forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.667, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Florence
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Florence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.848, -88.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Marinette
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Northern Marinette forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.351, -88.002 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Lincoln
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Lincoln forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.338, -89.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Langlade
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Langlade forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.262, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Menominee
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Menominee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.004, -88.710 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Oconto
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Northern Oconto forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.999, -88.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Door
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Door forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.838, -87.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Marathon
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Marathon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.898, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Shawano
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Shawano forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.789, -88.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wood
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Wood forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.455, -90.042 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Portage
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Portage forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Waupaca
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Waupaca forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.470, -88.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Outagamie
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Outagamie forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.416, -88.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Brown
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.474, -87.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Kewaunee
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Kewaunee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.483, -87.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Waushara
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Waushara forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.113, -89.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Winnebago
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Winnebago forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.069, -88.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Calumet
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Calumet forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.082, -88.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Manitowoc
- When
- January 30, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Manitowoc forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.091, -87.700 (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
- Cold in Wisconsin, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Washington, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Wyoming, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Hawaii, January 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Iowa, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Blizzard in Wyoming, January 30, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Cold in Montana, January 30, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 1996
- High Wind in Hawaii, January 30 to 31, 1996
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5538259, 5538260, 5538261, 5538262, 5538263, 5538264, 5538265, 5538266, 5538267, 5538268, 5538269, 5538270, 5538271, 5538272, 5538273, 5538274, 5538275, 5538276, 5538277, 5538278, 5538279, 5538280.