An extreme cold wave of arctic air and brisk winds brought 40 below wind chills to southern Wisconsin. Numerous school and business closings occurred.
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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 MKX wrote it up.
An extreme cold wave of arctic air and brisk winds brought 40 below wind chills to southern Wisconsin. Numerous school and business closings occurred. This cold wave and the continued cold through January, resulted in numerous water main breaks, especially in Madison and Milwaukee. Thousands of car batteries were replaced during the month. The Wisconsin Commissioner of Railroads cited cracked rails due to the cold conditions that caused the derailment of 19 cars on a Union Pacific coal train in Caledonia at 6 am on January 19th.
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 Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 5, 9:49 PM CST, 5 hours 11 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
Wind chill temperatures reached a minimum in the -40s Fahrenheit.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, 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: 492126, 492166, 492167, 492168, 492169, 492170, 492171, 492172, 492173, 492174, 492175, 492176, 492177, 492178, 492179, 492180, 492181, 492182, 492183, 492184.