The combination of strong winds and cold temperatures created bitterly cold wind chills across portions of southeast Minnesota in the morning hours of February 24th. In addition to the bitterly cold wind chills, several cooperative observers and automated weather observing systems reported low temperatures in the single digits below zero on February 24th.
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The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.
The combination of strong winds and cold temperatures created bitterly cold wind chills across portions of southeast Minnesota in the morning hours of February 24th. In addition to the bitterly cold wind chills, several cooperative observers and automated weather observing systems reported low temperatures in the single digits below zero on February 24th.
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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 23, 9:48 PM CST, 4 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
948 PM CST TUE FEB 23 2010
.UPDATE...
DESPITE PLENTY OF WIND ON THE ORDER OF 10 TO 15 KNOTS...TEMPERATURES
IN AUSTIN AND MANY AREAS OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA WEST OF AUSTIN HAVE
ALREADY DROPPED TO NEAR ZERO. THERE APPEARS TO BE A COUPLE OF
FACTORS ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN. FIRST...THE AIRMASS COMING INTO THE
WESTERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA IS VERY DRY...AS EVIDENCED BY
PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 0.10 OF AN INCH OR LESS ON 00Z
SOUNDINGS FROM MPX...INL AND ABR. SECOND...SKIES HAVE CLEARED OUT
THANKS TO THE DRY ADVECTION. CLEARING LINE ON SATELLITE IMAGERY
LOOKS TO BE LOCATED FROM JUST EAST OF ROCHESTER TO OELWEIN. THE
COMBINATION OF THE DRY AIR AND CLEARING SKIES ARE ALLOWING FOR
RADIATIONAL COOLING TO TAKE PLACE. THIRD...TEMPERATURES UNDERNEATH
HIGH PRESSURE IN THE DAKOTAS ARE DROPPING RAPIDLY AND BEING ADVECTED
IN ON THE NORTHWEST WINDS. READINGS ALREADY ARE 5 TO 10 BELOW ACROSS
MUCH OF THE EASTERN DAKOTAS.
00Z NAM HAS A GOOD HANDLE ON THE COLD AIR BASED ON ITS DERIVED 2
METER TEMPERATURE OUTPUT...AND HAS TEMPERATURES FALLING TO AROUND 10
BELOW IN THE FAR WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA...AGAIN
DESPITE THE WIND. GIVEN THIS...FELT THE READINGS WERE REASONABLE AND
ADJUSTED THE FORECAST CLOSER TO THE NAM VALUES. HOWEVER...THESE
COLDER TEMPS AND 10 TO 15 MPH WINDS RESULTED IN THE NEED FOR WIND
CHILL ADVISORIES.
FARTHER EAST...LIGHT SNOW/FLURRIES CONTINUE ON RADAR AND SURFACE OBS
ALONG AND EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 850-700MB Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE
PLOTS FROM THE GFS AND RUC SUGGEST A SLOW DIMINISHING OF THIS AS THE
FORCING MOVES TO THE EAST. THIS WAS HANDLED WELL IN THE PREVIOUS
FORECAST SO NO ADJUSTMENTS ARE NEEDED. HOWEVER...CLOUD COVER MAY
NEED SOME MONITORING AS SKIES ARE CLEARING OUT A LITTLE QUICKER IN
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN THAN EXPECTED.
&&
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT
FORECAST CONCERN IS ON LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS THIS EVENING...THEN
WIND CHILLS OVERNIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH SURGE OF ARCTIC
AIR INTO THE AREA.
18Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS ARCTIC COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH
SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA. SNOW SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT AND WELL
DEFINED SHORTWAVE ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY WAS MAKING ITS WAY ACROSS
THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST. NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND THE
FRONT HAD PICKED UP ACROSS WESTERN MINNESOTA INTO NORTH CENTRAL IOWA
RESULTING IN SOME AREAS OF DRIFTING SNOW.
23.12Z NCEP DETERMINISTIC MODELS ALONG WITH 23.09Z SREF IN GOOD
AGREEMENT THROUGH THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE
TROUGH/ARCTIC BOUNDARY WILL PUSH THOUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING. RUC
STILL DEPICTING SOME QG CONVERGENCE ACROSS THE EAST THIS EVENING
ALONG WITH SOME MODEST 280K-290K ISENTROPIC LIFT. WITH THE LATE
FEBRUARY SUN...850MB-700MB LAPSE RATES AROUND 7-8 DEGREES C/KM HAVE
DEVELOPED HELPING FUEL THE SNOW SOWERS. THESE LAPSE RATES CONTINUE
THROUGH AT LEAST 03Z THIS EVENING. THUS WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION
SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE EAST DURING THE EVENING HOURS.
WITH THE GRADIENT PICKING UP BEHIND THE FRONT AND STRONG COLD
ADVECTION...TEMPERATURES WILL BE DROPPING OFF TO NEAR ZERO TONIGHT.
THIS COMBINED WITH THE WIND WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILLS OF 15 TO 20
BELOW BY MORNING. ADVISORY CRITERIA WILL BRIEFLY BE HIT FOR AN HOUR
OR SO ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...BUT DO NOT PLAN
ON ISSUING ANY ADVISORIES AT THIS TIME.
REMAINDER OF FORECAST LOOKS TO HAVE TRANQUIL WEATHER AS HIGH
PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS. COLD OR
NEUTRAL LOW LEVEL TEMPERATURE ADVECTION CONTINUES WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY...WHICH WILL CONTINUE THE BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES DESPITE
THE SUNSHINE. WITH HIGH INCHING CLOSER WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY
MORNING AND WINDS DECOUPLING EXPECT SUB ZERO LOWS FOR MANY
LOCATIONS. SOME MODERATION IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY...BUT STILL
REMAINING BELOW SEASONAL NORMAL.
.LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
PATTERN CONTINUES TO BE DOMINATED BY MATURE CYCLONE OVER NEW ENGLAND
AND RIDGING OVER THE ROCKIES. DIFFERENCES IN DETERMINISTIC MODEL
SOLUTIONS QUITE LARGE LATE IN THE PERIOD. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF
WANTS TO RETROGRADE NEW ENGLAND LOW WESTWARD. PER HPC DISCUSSION
SCENARIO SEEMS TO BE A LOWER PROBABILITY OUTCOME AS ENSEMBLES DO NOT
SUPPORT THIS. CAVEAT TO THIS IS SYSTEM IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE PATTERN
IN MID FEBRUARY IN WHICH RETROGRESSION OF THE NEW ENGLAND LOW
RESULTED IN SNOW OVER THE REGION. FOR NOW WILL SIDE WITH HPC KEEPING
THINGS DRY FOR THE PERIOD...BUT THIS WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED WITH
FURTHER MODEL RUNS. THUS FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS RATHER LOW DURING
THIS PERIOD.
TEMPERATURES LOOK TO MODERATE... AND WILL BE DEPENDENT ON AMOUNT OF
SUN. FOR NOW HAVE SLOWLY WARM TEMPERATURES BACK UP TO NEAR NORMAL
BY EARLY NEXT WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION...REST OF TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY
SNOW CONTINUES TO DIMINISH AT BOTH TAF SITES...DUE TO LOSS OF
DAYTIME HEATING AND THE SYSTEM PRODUCING THE SNOW SLIDING OFF TO THE
EAST. VISIBILITIES HAVE RISEN TO VFR AS A RESULT AND WILL REMAIN
THAT WAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY DUE TO DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED. CEILINGS
ALSO HAVE RISEN TO VFR...DUE TO DRIER CANADIAN AIR ADVECTING IN FROM
THE NORTHERN PLAINS. MAIN QUESTION NOW IS WHEN SKIES WILL CLEAR...
WHICH SATELLITE LOOP AND MODELS SUGGEST BY 04Z AT KRST AND 09Z AT
KLSE. SKIES COULD CLEAR FASTER...THOUGH. EITHER WAY...PLAN ON VFR
CEILINGS TO CONTINUE. LOOK FOR WINDS TO STAY UP TONIGHT WITH A
RELATIVELY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT IN PLACE...THEN GRADUALLY
DIMINISH ON WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE IN THE PLAINS BUILDS IN.
&&
.ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...NONE.
MN...WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR MNZ086-
MNZ087-MNZ094-MNZ095.
IA...WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR
IAZ008-IAZ009-IAZ018-IAZ019.
&&
UPDATE...AJ
SHORT/LONG TERM...RABERDING
AVIATION..........AJHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 931 PM CST TUE FEB 23 2010 IAZ010-011-029-030-MNZ079-088-096-WIZ017-029-032>034-041>044-053>055- 061-241200- ADAMS-ALLAMAKEE-BUFFALO-CLARK-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-FAYETTE-GRANT-HOUSTON- JACKSON-JUNEAU-LA CROSSE-MONROE-RICHLAND-TAYLOR-TREMPEALEAU-VERNON- WABASHA-WINNESHIEK-WINONA- 931 PM CST TUE FEB 23 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT 10 TO 15 MPH WINDS COUPLED WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILLS FROM 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO OVERNIGHT. THE COLDEST READINGS WILL BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN FROM 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH COLDEST VALUES OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NO ACTION IS NECESSARY. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. IAZ008-009-018-019-MNZ086-087-094-095-241200- CHICKASAW-DODGE-FILLMORE-FLOYD-HOWARD-MITCHELL-MOWER-OLMSTED- 931 PM CST TUE FEB 23 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE COMBINATION OF COLD TEMPERATURES AND 10 TO 15 MPH NORTHWEST WINDS WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILL VALUES DROPPING TO 20 TO 25 BELOW. DUE TO THE LOW WIND CHILLS...A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY WIND CHILL VALUES OF 20 TO 25 BELOW WILL CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NO ACTION IS NECESSARY. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. RIECK/DTJ/AJ
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind chill values reached -25 at West Concord and -23 at Dodge Center on February 24th. In addition, the low temperature dropped to -4 degrees fahrenheit at the Dodge Center AWOS.
Wind chill values reached -27 at Austin and -32 at Grand Meadow on February 24th. In addition, the low temperature dropped to -8 degrees fahrenheit at the Austin AWOS.
Wind chill values reached -24 and the temperature dropped to -7 degrees fahrenheit at the Rochester International Airport on February 24th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, February 2010
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: 211997, 211998, 211999.