Cold/Wind Chill, Northern St. Louis
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Northern St. Louis forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Minnesota, January 15 to 16, 1997
Temperatures in the teens below zero combined with winds gusting to 30 mph to create life-threatening wind chills of 60 to 70 degrees below zero. This prompted the governor to close all Minnesota schools on the 15th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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
- 15
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 DLH wrote it up.
Temperatures in the teens below zero combined with winds gusting to 30 mph to create life-threatening wind chills of 60 to 70 degrees below zero. This prompted the governor to close all Minnesota schools on the 15th. The winds also caused travel problems due to blowing and drifting of snow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
15 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Cook / Northern Lake
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Cook / Northern Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.670, -90.975 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Itasca
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Itasca forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.510, -93.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Central St. Louis
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Central St. Louis forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Lake
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.557, -91.935 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Cook
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Cook forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.817, -90.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Cass
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Itasca
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Itasca forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.510, -93.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Cass
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Crow Wing
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Crow Wing forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.482, -94.071 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Aitkin
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Aitkin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Aitkin
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Aitkin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern St. Louis / Carlton
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Southern St. Louis / Carlton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.091, -92.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pine
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pine forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.121, -92.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Koochiching
- When
- January 15, 3:30 AM CST to January 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Koochiching forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.245, -93.783 (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
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 18, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Cold in South Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 17, 1997
- Cold in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Mississippi, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 1997
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 1997
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: 5600027, 5600028, 5600029, 5600030, 5600031, 5600032, 5600033, 5600034, 5600035, 5600036, 5600037, 5600038, 5600039, 5600040, 5600041.