With arctic air in place over northeast Iowa, air temperatures dropped into the teens below zero during the morning of January 1st. When combined with wind speeds of 10 to 15 mph, wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 ARX wrote it up.
With arctic air in place over northeast Iowa, air temperatures dropped into the teens below zero during the morning of January 1st. When combined with wind speeds of 10 to 15 mph, wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common. These dangerously cold wind chills started in late December 2017.
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 Dec 31, 10:41 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
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</html>Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service La Crosse WI 332 PM CST Sun Dec 31 2017 IAZ011-030-MNZ079-088-096-WIZ017-029-032>034-041>044-053>055-061- 011200- Allamakee-Clayton-Wabasha-Winona-Houston-Taylor-Clark-Buffalo- Trempealeau-Jackson-La Crosse-Monroe-Juneau-Adams-Vernon-Crawford- Richland-Grant- 332 PM CST Sun Dec 31 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northeast Iowa...southeast Minnesota...and portions of western into central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight A wind chill advisory is in effect tonight. Expect bitterly cold wind chill values of 20 to 35 below zero. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday A wind chill advisory continues until noon on Monday, with wind chills of 20 to 35 below zero expected. Expect bitterly cold wind chills again Monday night into Tuesday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. IAZ008>010-018-019-029-MNZ086-087-094-095-011200- Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette-Dodge-Olmsted- Mower-Fillmore- 332 PM CST Sun Dec 31 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. .DAY ONE...Tonight A wind chill warning is in effect tonight. Expect dangerously cold wind chill values of 25 below to 40 below. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday A wind chill warning continues until noon Monday, with dangerous wind chill values of 25 below to 40 below expected. Expect bitterly cold wind chills again Monday night into Tuesday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. JAM/RRS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind chills of 35 to 40 below zero were common across Chickasaw County during the morning of January 1st.
Wind chills of 35 to 40 below zero were common across Fayette County during the morning of January 1st. The coldest reported wind chill by the automated weather observing equipment at the Oelwein airport was 40 below.
Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Floyd County during the morning of January 1st.
Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Howard County during the morning of January 1st. The coldest reported wind chill was 35 below by a mesonet station near Riceville.
Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Mitchell County during the morning of January 1st.
Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Winneshiek County during the morning of January 1st.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 2018
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: 729357, 729358, 729359, 729360, 729361, 729362.