Minnesota, 2018

Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 1, 2018

January 1, 2018 · NWS ARX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

With arctic air in place over southeast Minnesota, 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.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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.

With arctic air in place over southeast Minnesota, 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.

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 Dec 31, 10:41 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 10:41 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 3:32 PM CST, 8 hours 28 minutes before
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 radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Dodge

When
January 1, 12:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where
Dodge forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.023, -92.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Dodge County during the morning of January 1st. The coldest reported wind chill by the automated weather observing equipment at the Dodge Center airport was 37 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Fillmore

When
January 1, 12:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where
Fillmore forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.674, -92.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Fillmore County during the morning of January 1st. The coldest reported wind chill by the automated weather observing equipment at the Preston airport was 37 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mower

When
January 1, 12:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where
Mower forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.672, -92.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Mower County during the morning of January 1st. The coldest reported wind chill by the automated weather observing equipment at the Austin airport was 35 below.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Olmsted

When
January 1, 12:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where
Olmsted forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
44.004, -92.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chills of 35 to 40 below were common across Olmsted County during the morning of January 1st. The coldest reported wind chill by the automated weather observing equipment at the Rochester airport was 38 below.

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 Minnesota in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 2018

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: 729363, 729364, 729365, 729366.