Minnesota, 2018Extreme 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.
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
- 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.
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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</html>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.
- 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.
- Winter Weather in New Mexico, January 15 to 16, 20182 deaths · 20 injured · $1.0 million · 1 event
- Winter Storm in Kentucky, January 15 to 16, 201844 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 15 to 16, 201836 events
- Extreme Cold in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 201831 events
- Winter Weather in Ohio, January 15 to 16, 201829 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Arkansas, January 15 to 16, 201829 events
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 15 to 16, 201822 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Mississippi, January 15 to 16, 201822 events
- Cold in South Dakota, January 15 to 16, 201821 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 15 to 16, 201821 events
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 15, 201819 events
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, January 15 to 16, 201818 events
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.