An arctic airmass moved into the Upper Mississippi River Valley on February 17th, bringing dangerously cold wind chills along with it. The coldest period was during the morning hours on February 18th where wind chills fell as low as 30 to 45 degrees below zero in some locations.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.
An arctic airmass moved into the Upper Mississippi River Valley on February 17th, bringing dangerously cold wind chills along with it. The coldest period was during the morning hours on February 18th where wind chills fell as low as 30 to 45 degrees below zero in some locations.
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 Feb 17, 5:36 PM CST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Minimum wind chills across Allamakee County ranged from 25 to 35 degrees on the morning of February 18th.
Minimum wind chills across Chickasaw County ranged between 30 to 40 degrees on the morning of February 18th. The coldest reported wind chill in the county of 37 degrees below zero in New Hampton, Iowa.
Minimum wind chills across Clayton County ranged between 25 to 35 degrees on the morning of February 18th. The coldest wind chill in the county of 34 degrees below zero was reported in Monona, Iowa.
Minimum wind chills across Fayette County ranged around 30 to 40 degrees on the morning of February 18th. The coldest wind chill in the county of 41 degrees below zero was reported in Oelwein, Iowa.
Minimum wind chills across Floyd County ranged around 30 to 40 degrees on the morning of February 18th. The coldest wind chill in the county of 42 degrees below zero was reported in Greene, Iowa.
Minimum wind chills across Howard County ranged around 30 to 40 degrees on the morning of February 18th. The coldest wind chill in the county of 40 degrees below zero was reported in Saratoga, Iowa.
Minimum wind chills across Mitchell County ranged between 30 to 40 degrees on the morning of February 18th. The coldest wind chill in the county of 37 degrees below zero was reported in Osage, Iowa.
Minimum wind chills across Winneshiek County ranged between 30 to 40 degrees on the morning of February 18th. The coldest wind chill in the county of 36 degrees below zero was reported 1 mile east-northeast of Jackson Junction.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 2025
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: 1238059, 1238084, 1238085, 1238087, 1238088, 1238089, 1238091, 1238092.