Extreme Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008

Name: Extreme Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
Start: 2008-02-19T10:13
End: 2008-02-20T04:00
Location: Minnesota

February 19 to 20, 2008 · NWS FGF · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Record and near record setting cold air poured into eastern North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota Tuesday (February 19th) and Tuesday night. The combination of moderate northerly winds of 15 mph to 25 mph with the very cold temperatures produced wind chills of 40 to 50 degrees below zero.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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: 24

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 FGF wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 19, 10:04 AM CST, 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 10:04 AM CST, 9 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
1004 AM CST TUE FEB 19 2008

.DISCUSSION...
THE MAIN WEATHER CHALLENGE WILL BE BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES
OVER THE NEXT 36-48 HOURS. ANOTHER RE-INFORCING SHOT OF ARCTIC AIR
WILL SPILL OVER THE REGION TODAY...AND THERE WILL BE ABOUT 25KT TO
MIX FROM THE SFC-900MB. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE WIND CHILLS FROM 40 TO
50 BELOW BY THIS EVENING IN ALL AREAS. WE WILL THEREFORE ALL WIND
CHILL ADVISORIES TO A WIND CHILL WARNING AND TIME IT FROM THE
NORTH TO SOUTH THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...WE WILL
GET SOME BLOWING SNOW DOWN THE VALLEY...AND WILL MENTION THIS IN
THE VALLEY THROUGH THIS EVENING.

RECORD COLD LOOKS LIKELY TONIGHT...WITH 30-35 BELOW IN MOST AREAS
NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION.

&&

.AVIATION...
MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED...ALTHOUGH WITH BLOWING SNOW VSBYS
MAY BE REDUCED IN THE VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING.

&&

.FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ND...WIND CHILL WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT CST
     TONIGHT FOR NDZ038-039-049-052-053.

     WIND CHILL WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR NDZ006>008-
     014>016-024-026>030-054.

MN...WIND CHILL WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT CST
     TONIGHT FOR MNZ003-024-027>032-040.

     WIND CHILL WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR MNZ001-002-
     004>009-013>017-022-023.

&&

DK

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 19, 6:58 AM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
658 AM CST TUE FEB 19 2008

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-201300-
WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-
WEST MARSHALL-EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-
EAST POLK-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-MAHNOMEN-
SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN-
WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-TOWNER-CAVALIER-
PEMBINA-BENSON-RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-NELSON-
GRAND FORKS-GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-
RICHLAND-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY-
658 AM CST TUE FEB 19 2008

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT INTO THIS EVENING...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ANOTHER SURGE OF ARCTIC AIR WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION TODAY.
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH WHICH WILL PRODUCE
WIND CHILLS FROM 30 TO 40 BELOW. WINDS WILL DIMINISH LATER TONIGHT
AND WITH ARCTIC AIR IN PLACE RECORD OR NEAR RECORD LOW
TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

VOELKER

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kittson

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Kittson forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Roseau

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Roseau forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lake of the Woods

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Lake of the Woods forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.771, -94.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Marshall

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: West Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Marshall

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: East Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Polk

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: West Polk forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Polk

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: East Polk forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pennington

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Pennington forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Red Lake

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Red Lake forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Norman

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Norman forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mahnomen

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Mahnomen forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, North Beltrami

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: North Beltrami forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.974, -94.938 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, South Beltrami

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: South Beltrami forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.974, -94.938 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, North Clearwater

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: North Clearwater forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.578, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, South Clearwater

When: February 19, 10:13 AM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: South Clearwater forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.578, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Clay

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wilkin

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Wilkin forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Becker

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: West Becker forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Becker

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: East Becker forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hubbard

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Hubbard forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.109, -94.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wadena

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Wadena forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.586, -94.969 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Otter Tail

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: West Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Otter Tail

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: East Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Grant

When: February 19, 4:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Minnesota in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, February 2008

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: 75401, 75402, 75403, 75404, 75405, 75406, 75407, 75408, 75409, 75410, 75411, 75412, 75413, 75414, 75415, 75416, 75417, 75418, 75419, 75420, 75421, 75422, 75423, 75424.