Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 27 to 28, 2014

Name: Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 27 to 28, 2014
Start: 2014-01-27T01:00
End: 2014-01-28T09:00
Location: Minnesota

January 27 to 28, 2014 · NWS ARX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Where it happened

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.

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: 7

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 ARX wrote it up.

Wind chills of 35 to 45 below were common across southeast Minnesota 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 46 below from a mesonet reporting station near Dexter (Mower County). All the schools across southeast Minnesota were closed January 27th. A majority of the schools were closed again on the 28th or delayed the start of classes.

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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 26, 11:18 PM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 11:18 PM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 26, 7:47 PM CST, 5 hours 13 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 26, 8:07 PM CST, 4 hours 53 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 26, 8:33 PM CST, 4 hours 27 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 26, 8:53 PM CST, 4 hours 7 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 26, 9:00 PM CST, 4 hours before

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Local storm report, Jan 26, 9:05 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 26, 9:36 PM CST, 3 hours 24 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Olmsted

When: January 27, 1:00 AM CST to January 28, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Olmsted forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.004, -92.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Olmsted County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 43 below from a mesonet reporting station near Eyota and the automated weather observing equipment at the Rochester airport.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wabasha

When: January 27, 2:56 AM CST to January 28, 8:15 AM CST
Where: Wabasha forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.284, -92.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Wabasha County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 41 below from a mesonet reporting station near Kellogg.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Dodge

When: January 27, 3:00 AM CST to January 28, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 44.023, -92.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Dodge County from the early morning of January 27th through the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 44 below from a mesonet reporting station near Kasson.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mower

When: January 27, 3:00 AM CST to January 28, 5:15 AM CST
Where: Mower forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.672, -92.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Mower County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 46 below from a mesonet reporting station near Dexter.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Fillmore

When: January 27, 3:15 AM CST to January 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Fillmore forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.674, -92.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Fillmore County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 43 below from a mesonet reporting station near Canton.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Houston

When: January 27, 5:26 AM CST to January 28, 6:15 AM CST
Where: Houston forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.671, -91.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Houston County from the early morning of January 27th through the morning of the 28th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Winona

When: January 27, 5:26 AM CST to January 28, 8:15 AM CST
Where: Winona forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.987, -91.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Winona County from the early morning of January 27th into the morning of the 28th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 42 below from a mesonet reporting station near Ridgeway.

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 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, January 2014

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 487794, 487795, 487790, 487793, 487791, 487792, 487796.