Minnesota, 2018

Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 15 to 16, 2018

January 15 to 16, 2018 · NWS MPX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A series of Arctic air continued to move southward across North America during the first few weeks of January. This Arctic air intrusion dropped temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees below zero in west central Minnesota during the afternoon and evening of Monday, January 15th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
7

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 MPX wrote it up.

A series of Arctic air continued to move southward across North America during the first few weeks of January. This Arctic air intrusion dropped temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees below zero in west central Minnesota during the afternoon and evening of Monday, January 15th. As gusty winds continued in this region due to the wake of strong high pressure building across the area, wind chill values dropped to -35F for several hours before wind speeds diminished Tuesday morning, January 16th.

The coldest wind chills included;

Starbuck in Pope County at -40F.|Morris in Swift County at -40F.|Clara City in Chippewa County at -37F.|Benson in Stevens County at -36F.

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 Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 3:16 PM CST, 20 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 3:16 PM CST, 20 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

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Stevens

When
January 15, 12:00 PM CST to January 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Stevens forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several observations across the county reported temperatures in the -10 to -15F range, and gusty winds of 10 to 15 mph. This created wind chill values around -35F, for several hours.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Swift

When
January 15, 12:00 PM CST to January 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Swift forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several observations across the county reported temperatures in the -10 to -15F range, and gusty winds of 10 to 15 mph. This created wind chill values around -35F, for several hours.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Chippewa

When
January 15, 4:00 PM CST to January 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several observations across the county reported temperatures in the -10 to -15F range, and gusty winds of 10 to 15 mph. This created wind chill values around -35F, for several hours.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lac Qui Parle

When
January 15, 4:00 PM CST to January 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several observations across the county reported temperatures in the -10 to -15F range, and gusty winds of 10 to 15 mph. This created wind chill values around -35F, for several hours.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Yellow Medicine

When
January 15, 4:00 PM CST to January 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several observations across the county reported temperatures in the -10 to -15F range, and gusty winds of 10 to 15 mph. This created wind chill values around -35F, for several hours.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Douglas

When
January 15, 7:00 PM CST to January 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.934, -95.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several observations across the county reported temperatures in the -10 to -15F range, and gusty winds of 10 to 15 mph. This created wind chill values around -35F, for several hours.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pope

When
January 15, 7:00 PM CST to January 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Pope forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.586, -95.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several observations across the county reported temperatures in the -10 to -15F range, and gusty winds of 10 to 15 mph. This created wind chill values around -35F, for several hours.

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: 730252, 730253, 730248, 730250, 730254, 730249, 730251.