Minnesota, 2018Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 3 to 5, 2018
January 3 to 5, 2018 · NWS DLH · 9 events in 7 counties and zones
Continuing on the cold temperatures felt in late December, early January across the Northland had overnight temperatures dropping into the 20s and 30s below zero with wind chills in the 30 to 40 below zero range. Daytime highs barely made it above zero for many areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
- 9
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.
Continuing on the cold temperatures felt in late December, early January across the Northland had overnight temperatures dropping into the 20s and 30s below zero with wind chills in the 30 to 40 below zero range. Daytime highs barely made it above zero for many areas. The coldest mornings were on the 4th and 5th. On the 4th, the Minnesota Arrowhead had widespread wind chills in the -40s. On the 5th, the -40 to -45 wind chills were widespread north of U.S. Highway 2.
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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 3, 5:57 PM CST, 4 hours 58 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 5:57 PM CST, 4 hours 58 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 3, 2:31 PM CST, 8 hours 24 minutes before
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</html>Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Cook
- When
- January 3, 10:55 PM CST to January 4, 9:55 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Cook forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 47.817, -90.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The Grand Marais Airport measured a peak wind chill value of -41.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Central St. Louis
- When
- January 4, 2:53 AM CST to 5:53 AM CST
- Where
- Central St. Louis forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A -40 windchill was measured at the Chisholm-Hibbing Airport. The local COOP in Embarrass measured a morning low and current observation temp of 44 below at 6 AM.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Lake
- When
- January 4, 6:52 AM CST to 7:16 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Lake forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 47.557, -91.935 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The site at Silver Bay measured a wind chill of minus 40.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Koochiching
- When
- January 4, 7:53 PM CST to January 5, 7:55 AM CST
- Where
- Koochiching forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 48.245, -93.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Site at International Falls reported a wind chill of -41.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Cass
- When
- January 5, 12:35 AM CST to 9:35 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Cass forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Walker airport had a peak wind chill of 45 below.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Cook / Northern Lake
- When
- January 5, 1:13 AM CST to 9:13 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Cook / Northern Lake forecast zone
- Reported by
- RAWS
- Coordinates
- 47.670, -90.975 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Site in Fernberg reported a wind chill of -41.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Cook
- When
- January 5, 2:44 AM CST to 10:15 AM CST
- Where
- Southern Cook forecast zone
- Reported by
- RAWS
- Coordinates
- 47.817, -90.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Site four miles west of Grand Portage had measured wind chill of 41 below. The Grand Marais Airport AWOS site measured a 51 below wind chill at 5:55 AM.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Central St. Louis
- When
- January 5, 3:53 AM CST to 8:53 AM CST
- Where
- Central St. Louis forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Chishom-Hibbing Airport measured a -43 wind chill. COOP observer in Embarrass had an observation temperature of 42 below at 6 AM.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southern St. Louis / Carlton
- When
- January 5, 4:55 AM CST to 9:55 AM CST
- Where
- Southern St. Louis / Carlton forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 47.091, -92.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The Duluth International Airport measured a peak wind chill of 42 below.
- 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 Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 3 to 4, 20183 deaths · $10,000 · 24 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in South Carolina, January 3, 20183 deaths · 11 events
- Winter Storm and Coastal Flood in North Carolina, January 3 to 4, 20182 deaths · 67 kt wind · 22 events
- High Surf in Oregon, January 3, 20181 death · 1 event
- Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, January 3 to 5, 2018$200,000 · 2 events
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Virginia, January 3 to 4, 201834 events
- Heavy Snow in South Carolina, January 3, 201821 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Georgia, January 3, 201816 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Florida, January 3, 201815 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 3 to 4, 201815 events
- Winter Weather in Virginia, January 3 to 4, 201814 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Georgia, January 3, 201812 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 731187, 731182, 731185, 731196, 731200, 731197, 731199, 731198, 731201.