Wisconsin, 2015

Extreme Cold in Wisconsin, January 5, 2015

January 5, 2015 · NWS ARX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across central Wisconsin on the morning of January 5th. These dangerous wind chills occurred as air temperatures plummeted into the teens and 20s below zero with northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph behind a cold front.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 below or colder occurred across central Wisconsin on the morning of January 5th. These dangerous wind chills occurred as air temperatures plummeted into the teens and 20s below zero with northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph behind a cold front. The lowest recorded wind chill was 38 below from the automated weather observing equipment at the Black River Falls (Jackson County) airport.

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 4, 11:29 PM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 4, 11:29 PM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 4, 3:17 PM CST, 9 hours 38 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

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Taylor

When
January 5, 12:55 AM CST to 9:35 AM CST
Where
Taylor forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
45.212, -90.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Taylor County on the morning of January 5th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 36 below from the automated weather observing equipment at the Medford airport.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Clark

When
January 5, 3:15 AM CST to 8:55 AM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.735, -90.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Clark County on the morning of January 5th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson

When
January 5, 5:35 AM CST to 8:15 AM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.319, -90.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 below or colder occurred across Jackson County on the morning of January 5th. The lowest recorded wind chill was 38 below from the automated weather observing equipment at the Black River Falls airport.

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

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 550256, 550258, 550257.