Wisconsin, 1996

Cold in Wisconsin, January 31, 1996

January 31, 1996 · NWS MPX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Extremely cold air settled over the area on January 31st, and remained entrenched through February 4th. The cold peaked the morning of February 2nd when a new record low temperature of 35 below 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

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 MPX wrote it up.

Extremely cold air settled over the area on January 31st, and remained entrenched through February 4th. The cold peaked the morning of February 2nd when a new record low temperature of 35 below 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 garage died from exposure to the cold.

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, Polk

When
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Polk forecast zone
Coordinates
45.461, -92.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Barron

When
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 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
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Rusk forecast zone
Coordinates
45.475, -91.133 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, St. Croix

When
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 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
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 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
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 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
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 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
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 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
January 31, 5:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Eau Claire forecast zone
Coordinates
44.727, -91.286 (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

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: 5535618, 5535619, 5535620, 5535621, 5535622, 5535623, 5535624, 5535625, 5535626.