Wisconsin, 1997

Cold in Wisconsin, January 15 to 16, 1997

January 15 to 16, 1997 · NWS DLH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

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. The winds also caused travel problems due to blowing and drifting of snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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. 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.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Douglas

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Coordinates
46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Bayfield

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Bayfield forecast zone
Coordinates
46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ashland

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Ashland forecast zone
Coordinates
46.510, -90.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Iron

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Coordinates
46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Burnett

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Burnett forecast zone
Coordinates
45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Washburn

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Washburn forecast zone
Coordinates
45.899, -91.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sawyer

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Sawyer forecast zone
Coordinates
45.880, -91.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Price

When
January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Price forecast zone
Coordinates
45.680, -90.361 (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 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5600352, 5600353, 5600354, 5600355, 5600356, 5600357, 5600358, 5600359.