Cold/Wind Chill, Wabasha
- When
- January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wabasha forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.284, -92.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Minnesota, January 16, 1997
Wind chills of 40 below to 60 below persisted during the day, prompting the closure of schools throughout southeast Minnesota.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
- 7
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.
Wind chills of 40 below to 60 below persisted during the day, prompting the closure of schools throughout southeast Minnesota.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Dodge
- When
- January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dodge forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.023, -92.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Olmsted
- When
- January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Olmsted forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -92.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Winona
- When
- January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Winona forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.987, -91.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Mower
- When
- January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mower forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.672, -92.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Fillmore
- When
- January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fillmore forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -92.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Houston
- When
- January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Houston forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.671, -91.493 (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
- Ice Storm in Washington, January 16 to 17, 1997
- Strong Wind in New York, January 16, 1997
- Cold in West Virginia, January 16 to 20, 1997
- Winter Weather in Ohio, January 16 to 17, 1997
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, January 16, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 16 to 18, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 16, 1997
- Winter Weather in Vermont, January 16, 1997
- Cold in Ohio, January 16 to 20, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 16 to 19, 1997
- Cold in Wisconsin, January 16, 1997
- Blizzard in Wisconsin, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5584801, 5584802, 5584803, 5584804, 5584805, 5584806, 5584807.