Minnesota, 2018

Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 15 to 16, 2018

January 15 to 16, 2018 · NWS FGF · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Surface high pressure moved over eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minnesota, resulting in mainly clear skies and low wind speeds. Low temperatures both mornings very highly variable, but many stations dipped to 15 below to 25 below zero.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
16

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 FGF wrote it up.

Surface high pressure moved over eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minnesota, resulting in mainly clear skies and low wind speeds. Low temperatures both mornings very highly variable, but many stations dipped to 15 below to 25 below zero.

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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 3:25 PM CST, 8 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 3:25 PM CST, 8 hours 35 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 14, 4:16 AM CST, 19 hours 44 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

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kittson

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Kittson forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Roseau

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Roseau forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Marshall

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
West Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Marshall

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
East Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Polk

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
West Polk forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Polk

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
East Polk forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pennington

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Pennington forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Red Lake

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Red Lake forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Norman

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Norman forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mahnomen

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Mahnomen forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Clay

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Becker

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
West Becker forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wilkin

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Wilkin forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, West Otter Tail

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
West Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Otter Tail

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
East Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Grant

When
January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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: 728111, 728112, 728113, 728114, 728115, 728116, 728117, 728118, 728119, 728120, 728121, 728122, 728123, 728124, 728125, 728126.