Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 6 to 7, 2015

Name: Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 6 to 7, 2015
Start: 2015-01-06T18:00
End: 2015-01-07T12:00
Location: Minnesota

January 6 to 7, 2015 · NWS FGF · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Dangerously cold wind chills settled over the area once again, ranging from 40 below to 45 below zero at times.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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: 24

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 FGF wrote it up.

Dangerously cold wind chills settled over the area once again, ranging from 40 below to 45 below zero at times.

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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 6, 3:25 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 6, 3:25 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 6, 4:58 AM CST, 13 hours 2 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
458 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2015

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-071100-
WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-
WEST MARSHALL-EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-
EAST POLK-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-MAHNOMEN-
SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN-
WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-TOWNER-CAVALIER-
PEMBINA-BENSON-RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH-EDDY-NELSON-GRAND FORKS-
GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-RICHLAND-
WESTERN WALSH-
458 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIND
CHILL ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT TODAY FOR WIND CHILLS FROM 25
BELOW TO 35 BELOW ZERO. SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IS
EXPECTED IN THE DEVILS LAKE REGION AND THE NORTHERN RED RIVER
VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING...AS NORTHWEST WINDS BECOME
RATHER GUSTY. WIND CHILL WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR WIND
CHILLS FROM 40 BELOW TO 50 BELOW ZERO.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

WIND CHILL WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.
ANOTHER SHOT OF LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO
THURSDAY MORNING...WITH MOST AREAS RECEIVING UP TO AN INCH OF
LIGHT FLUFFY SNOW. ALONG AND AFTER THIS SNOW MOVES THROUGH...THERE
LOOKS TO BE ANOTHER PERIOD OF GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS. VISIBILITIES
COULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT WHERE
THERE IS ENOUGH SNOW TO BLOW AROUND. HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS RETURN
THURSDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 6, 3:24 PM CST, 2 hours 36 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

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kittson

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Kittson forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Roseau

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Roseau forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lake of the Woods

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lake of the Woods forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.771, -94.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Marshall

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: East Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Marshall

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: West Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, North Beltrami

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: North Beltrami forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.974, -94.938 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, South Beltrami

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: South Beltrami forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.974, -94.938 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, South Clearwater

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: South Clearwater forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.578, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, North Clearwater

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: North Clearwater forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.578, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Polk

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: East Polk forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Polk

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: West Polk forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pennington

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Pennington forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Red Lake

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Red Lake forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Norman

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Norman forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mahnomen

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Mahnomen forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Clay

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Becker

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: West Becker forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Becker

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: East Becker forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hubbard

When: January 6, 6:00 PM CST to January 7, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hubbard forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.109, -94.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wilkin

When: January 7, 12:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Wilkin forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Otter Tail

When: January 7, 12:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: East Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Otter Tail

When: January 7, 12:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: West Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wadena

When: January 7, 12:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Wadena forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.586, -94.969 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Grant

When: January 7, 12:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (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

Every storm in Minnesota in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, January 2015

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: 547807, 547808, 547809, 547810, 547811, 547812, 547813, 547814, 547815, 547816, 547817, 547818, 547819, 547820, 547821, 547822, 547823, 547824, 547825, 547826, 547827, 547828, 547829, 547830.