Wind chills of 35 to 45 below were common across northeast Iowa on the mornings of January 27th and 28th. These dangerous wind chills occurred behind a strong cold front that moved across the region on January 26th.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.
Wind chills of 35 to 45 below were common across northeast Iowa on the mornings of January 27th and 28th. These dangerous wind chills occurred behind a strong cold front that moved across the region on January 26th. As temperatures fell behind the front, strong northwest winds starting pushing the wind chills to 35 below or colder during the early morning of the 27th. Most locations then had wind chills of 35 below or colder into the morning of the 28th, which was when warmer air started to spread back across the area. The lowest recorded wind chill was 44 below from mesonet reporting stations in Monona (Clayton County) and West Union (Fayette County). All the schools across northeast Iowa were closed January 27th. A majority of the schools were closed again on the 28th or delayed the start of classes.
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 Jan 27, 3:26 AM CST, 4 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Chickasaw County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 40 below from mesonet reporting stations near Ionia and Richfield.
Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Fayette County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 44 below from a mesonet reporting station in West Union.
Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Howard County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th.
Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Mitchell County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 40 below from a mesonet reporting station in Saint Ansgar.
Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Clayton County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 44 below from a mesonet reporting station in Monona.
Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Allamakee County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th.
Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Winneshiek County from the early morning of January 27th into the evening of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 38 below from a mesonet reporting station near Decorah.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 2014
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: 487784, 487786, 487787, 487788, 487785, 487783, 487789.