Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Emmet
- When
- January 18, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 9:00 AM CST
- Where
- Emmet forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold in Iowa, January 18 to 19, 2001
A strong cold front moved through the state ushering in the coldest air that Iowa had seen in a few weeks. Temperatures fell into the single digits above and below zero with a northwest wind of up to 30 MPH at times.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 DMX wrote it up.
A strong cold front moved through the state ushering in the coldest air that Iowa had seen in a few weeks. Temperatures fell into the single digits above and below zero with a northwest wind of up to 30 MPH at times. Wind chill indices were in the -30 to -40 F. range. A woman died of exposure in Emmet County on the evening of the 18th. Her car stalled and she was walking for help. Hypothermia set in and she was found the next day tangled in a barbed wire fence.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Emmet | 2001-01-18 | 71 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Alaska, January 18 to 19, 2001
- Winter Storm in Texas, January 18, 2001
- Heavy Rain in West Virginia, January 18 to 19, 2001
- Heavy Rain in Virginia, January 18 to 19, 2001
- High Surf in California, January 18 to 20, 2001
- Dense Fog in North Carolina, January 18, 2001
- Waterspout in Florida, January 18, 2001
- Avalanche in Alaska, January 18 to 19, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 18 to 19, 2001
- High Wind in Alaska, January 18 to 19, 2001
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 2001
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: 5228504.