Wisconsin, 2015Extreme 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.
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.
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- 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.
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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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 4, 3:17 PM CST, 9 hours 38 minutes before
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</html>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.
- 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.
- Heavy Snow and Cold in Illinois, January 5 to 6, 20152 deaths · 3 events
- Debris Flow in Washington, January 5, 2015$300,000 · 1 event
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, January 5, 2015$79,000 · 50 kt wind · 10 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Ohio, January 5 to 6, 201532 events
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 5, 201523 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Dakota, January 5, 201521 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, January 5 to 6, 201521 events
- Winter Weather in Indiana, January 5 to 6, 201520 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 5 to 6, 201513 events
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, January 5 to 6, 201513 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, January 5, 201511 events
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, January 5, 20158 events
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.