An arctic air mass moved southward across the Upper Midwest during the weekend of January 16th and 17th. Actual air temperatures fell into the teens, and to near 20 degrees below zero Sunday morning.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 MPX wrote it up.
An arctic air mass moved southward across the Upper Midwest during the weekend of January 16th and 17th. Actual air temperatures fell into the teens, and to near 20 degrees below zero Sunday morning. As wind speeds averaged between 5 to 10 mph, this created wind chill values as low as -35F for several hours during the morning of Sunday, January 17th.
Although wind speeds averaged lower in west central Wisconsin due to terrain and vegetation, low temperatures were colder than in Minnesota, and thus a few wind chill values dropped to -40F after sunrise. This was reported at Cumberland which had their coldest wind chill values prior to 9 AM LST at -40-F.
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 Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 17, 5:33 AM CST, 27 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
Several sources of weather observations indicated that wind chill values dropped to around -35F for a few hours.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, January 2016
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: 608993, 608994, 608995, 608996, 608997, 608998, 608999, 609000.