Cold/Wind Chill, Fremont
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fremont forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 40.746, -95.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Iowa, January 2 to 4, 1999
A prolonged Arctic surge of cold air plunged south across western Iowa on January 2 and continued through midday January 4. North winds of 25 to 40 mph accompanied the surge of cold air and when combined with air temperatures which fell below zero, produced wind chill temperatures of 35 to 50 below zero much of the period.
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
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 OAX wrote it up.
A prolonged Arctic surge of cold air plunged south across western Iowa on January 2 and continued through midday January 4. North winds of 25 to 40 mph accompanied the surge of cold air and when combined with air temperatures which fell below zero, produced wind chill temperatures of 35 to 50 below zero much of the period. In addition to the extremely cold wind chills, a 24 to 48 hour snow event preceded and accompanied the Arctic surge dropping 2 to as much as 7 inches of new snow on much of the area. When combined with the strong winds, blowing and drifting of the freshly fallen snow occasionally reduced visibilities below 1/2 mile, mainly from the evening of 1/2/99 through late afternoon on 1/3/99. The drifting snow also closed some east to west roads, mainly in rural areas.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
8 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Harrison
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Harrison forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 41.683, -95.817 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Mills
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mills forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 41.034, -95.621 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Monona
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Monona forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.052, -95.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Montgomery
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Montgomery forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 41.030, -95.156 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Page
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Page forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 40.739, -95.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pottawattamie
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pottawattamie forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 41.337, -95.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Shelby
- When
- January 2, 6:00 PM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Shelby forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 41.685, -95.310 (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 Ohio, January 2, 1999
- Tornado in Texas, January 2, 1999
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, January 2 to 3, 1999
- Avalanche in Utah, January 2, 1999
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Florida, January 2, 1999
- Tornado in Louisiana, January 2, 1999
- Tornado in Louisiana, January 2, 1999
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, January 2 to 3, 1999
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 2 to 3, 1999
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, January 2, 1999
- Tornado in Florida, January 2, 1999
- Tornado in Louisiana, January 2, 1999
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 1999
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: 5681319, 5681320, 5681321, 5681322, 5681323, 5681324, 5681325, 5681326.