Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Big Stone
- When
- February 19, 7:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Big Stone forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 45.426, -96.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
Arctic air along with blustery northwest winds brought extreme wind chills during the evening and early morning hours to west central Minnesota. Wind chills ranged from 35 to 45 degrees below zero.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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 ABR wrote it up.
Arctic air along with blustery northwest winds brought extreme wind chills during the evening and early morning hours to west central Minnesota. Wind chills ranged from 35 to 45 degrees below zero. The winds diminished in the early morning hours of the 20th allowing air temperatures to fall to record or near record lows across west central Minnesota. Record lows, ranging from 23 to 28 degrees below zero, were set for several locations on February 20th. There were many vehicles that did not start along with late school starts or closings.
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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 19, 1:53 PM CST, 5 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 1:53 PM CST, 5 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
153 PM CST TUE FEB 19 2008
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT
FORECAST CHALLENGES...HOW COLD WILL IT GET TONIGHT UNDERNEATH
ARCTIC COLD SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CENTER.
CURRENTLY...AN ARCTIC COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS WORKING SOUTH INTO
NEBRASKA. WINDS HAVE INCREASED FROM THE NORTH TO AROUND 15 TO 25
MPH. ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE IS BUILDING SOUTHWARD INTO THE FORECAST
AREA AND TEMPERATURES/DEWPOINTS ARE RESPONDING BY DECREASING.
TONIGHT...THE ARCTIC HIGH CENTER WILL MOVE TO RIGHT OVER TOP OF
THE FORECAST AREA. UNTIL THEN...NORTHERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL STAY
ABOVE 10 MPH RESULTING IN WIND CHILLS OF 20 TO 35 BELOW ZERO
ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. THEREFORE...CONTINUING WITH THE
WIND CHILL ADVISORY THROUGH MIDNIGHT. THE FAR NORTHEASTERN
COUNTIES MAY FLIRT FOR A FEW HOURS WITH WIND CHILL WARNING
CRITERIA LATE THIS EVENING BEFORE WINDS FINALLY SUBSIDE TO LESS
THAN 10 MPH. EVENING SHIFT MAY END UP NEEDING T0 UPGRADE A FEW
COUNTIES TO WIND CHILL WARNING. RECORD OR NEAR RECORD LOWS STILL
ON TRACK ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN HALF OF ZONES TONIGHT.
OTHERWISE...THE FORECAST AREA REMAINS IN NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT
THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WHICH TRANSLATES TO CONTINUED COLD AND DRY.
THERE IS ONE ADDITIONAL UPPER WAVE SET TO WORK SOUTHEASTWARD INTO
THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES ON THURSDAY...WITH A SHORT-LIVED PERIOD OF
LIFT/FORCING OVERSPREADING THE NORTHEASTERN ZONES DURING THE DAY
ON THURSDAY. AS SUCH...HAVE CONTINUED WITH WX/POPS MENTION FOR
THE NERN ZONES DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY.
.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
EXTENDED MODELS APPEAR TO BE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT TODAY.
THE PERIOD STARTS OFF WITH AN UPPER RIDGE PUSHING ACROSS THE
PLAINS AND A TROUGH DIGGING FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO THE FOUR
CORNERS REGION. BROAD SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXTEND FROM THE
PLAINS TO THE OHIO VALLEY ON FRIDAY. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SPLITS
ON SATURDAY WITH THE NORTHERN PORTION REMAINING OVER THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST...AND THE SOUTHERN PORTION TRACKING ACROSS THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN PLAINS. THE SURFACE HIGH SLIDES EAST WITH A WEAK
TROUGH SETTING UP OVER THE WESTERN DAKOTAS. A WEAK UPPER RIDGE
PUSHES ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY...THEN THE WESTERN TROUGH
BECOMES ELONGATED FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO THE FOUR CORNERS
REGION. THE SURFACE TROUGH STRENGTHENS AND DIGS OVER THE WESTERN
HIGH PLAINS...THEN SLIDES ACROSS THE PLAINS AS A COLD FRONT SUNDAY
NIGHT. WITH THE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE AREA IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE
FRONT MOVING THROUGH...WILL KEEP THE MENTION OF LIGHT SNOW GOING
FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY. WILL SEE HIGH PRESSURE
DROP FROM WESTERN CANADA OVER MUCH OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES
SUNDAY NIGHT...THEN GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST OVER THE PLAINS ON TUESDAY.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE JUST A BIT BELOW NORMAL ON FRIDAY AS THE
SURFACE HIGH WILL STILL BE DOMINANT...THEN WILL SEE A GRADUAL
WARMING TREND WITH TEMPERATURES BACK TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE
NORMAL SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. H85 TEMPS RISE ABOVE ZERO LATE
SATURDAY NIGHT AND REMAIN THERE THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. COOLER AIR
MOVES BACK IN BEHIND THE EXITING COLD FRONT MONDAY AND
TUESDAY...WITH H85 TEMPS FALLING BACK BELOW ZERO EARLY
MONDAY...THEN INTO THE TEENS BELOW ZERO TUESDAY. EXPECT
TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY TO BE BACK ABOUT A CATEGORY OR SO BELOW
NORMAL.
&&
.AVIATION...
18Z TAFS...KABR...KATY...KPIR...KMBG
VFR CLOUD LAYER WITH SOME INTERMITTENT SNOW FLURRIES WORKING
RAPIDLY SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA...AND HAS CLEARED ALL
BUT THE KPIR TERMINAL. CLOUDS/FLURRIES SHOULD BE COMPLETELY OUT OF ALL
FOUR TERMINALS BY 00Z...WHILE WINDS REMAIN FROM THE NORTH AT 15
TO 25 KNOTS. HIGH PRESSURE WORKS SOUTH INTO THE FORECAST AREA THIS
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...REDUCING WINDS TO LIGHT AND VARIABLE BY
MORNING. GOOD VFR TO PERSIST FROM 00Z THIS EVENING THROUGH 18Z
WEDNESDAY.
&&
.ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR BROWN-
CAMPBELL-CLARK-CODINGTON-DAY-DEUEL-EDMUNDS-FAULK-GRANT-
HAMLIN-HAND-HYDE-MARSHALL-MCPHERSON-POTTER-ROBERTS-SPINK-
WALWORTH.
MN...WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR BIG STONE-
TRAVERSE.
&&
SHORT TERM...DORN
LONG TERM...PARKIN
AVIATION...DORN
WEATHER.GOV/ABERDEENHazardous weather outlook, Feb 19, 11:56 AM CST, 7 hours 4 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD 1156 AM CST TUE FEB 19 2008 SDZ003-015-033>035-045-048-051-201800- CORSON-DEWEY-STANLEY-SULLY-HUGHES-JONES-LYMAN-BUFFALO- 1156 AM CST TUE FEB 19 2008 /1056 AM MST TUE FEB 19 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. MNZ039-046-SDZ004>011-016>023-036-037-201800- TRAVERSE-BIG STONE-CAMPBELL-MCPHERSON-BROWN-MARSHALL-ROBERTS- WALWORTH-EDMUNDS-DAY-POTTER-FAULK-SPINK-CLARK-CODINGTON-GRANT- HAMLIN-DEUEL-HYDE-HAND- 1156 AM CST TUE FEB 19 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM CST TODAY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR WIND CHILL VALUES OF 20 TO 35 BELOW ZERO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. DORN
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Traverse
- When
- February 19, 7:00 PM CST to February 20, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Traverse forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 45.772, -96.472 (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
- Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, February 19, 2008
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Extreme Cold in South Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 19, 2008
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Iowa, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in South Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 84566, 84567.