Cold in Wisconsin, January 15 to 16, 1997

Name: Cold in Wisconsin, January 15 to 16, 1997
Start: 1997-01-15T17:00
End: 1997-01-16T20:00
Location: Wisconsin

January 15 to 16, 1997 · NWS MPX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Strong northwest winds of 25 to 40 mph in combination with temperatures around or below zero dropped windchills into the 40 to the 40 to 60 below zero range.

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.

Strong northwest winds of 25 to 40 mph in combination with temperatures around or below zero dropped windchills into the 40 to the 40 to 60 below zero range.

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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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 15, 5:00 PM CST to January 16, 8:00 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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, 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: 5589426, 5589427, 5589428, 5589429, 5589430, 5589431, 5589432, 5589433, 5589434.