A push of dangerously cold air spread across the Upper Midwest behind a series of strong arctic fronts from January 21 through January 23. Wind chills dropped into the -40s across much of the region, with AXN in Alexandria reporting the coldest wind chill of -50F during this stretch of extreme cold.
Every event with a place to put it; 42 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 MPX wrote it up.
A push of dangerously cold air spread across the Upper Midwest behind a series of strong arctic fronts from January 21 through January 23. Wind chills dropped into the -40s across much of the region, with AXN in Alexandria reporting the coldest wind chill of -50F during this stretch of extreme cold. The strongest winds did not line up with the coolest temperatures, limiting wind chills from getting any colder than -50F.
The peak of the coldest conditions occurred from the evening on the 22nd into the morning of the 23rd. Very cold air temperatures around -10 to -20 below continued until the morning of the 26th, though winds were generally at or below 10 mph, limiting wind chills from dropping below -35F.
The lowest wind chills were:|-50F at AXN in Alexandria, MN.|-49F at STC in St Cloud, MN.|-49F at OWA in Owatonna, MN.|-49F at GHW in Glenwood, MN.|-47F at MSP in the Twin Cities, MN.|-47F at BDH in Willmar, MN.|-47F at CFE in Buffalo, MN.
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 22, 1:53 PM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
42 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
K14Y reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 7PM on the 22nd.
KMOX reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 11:30PM on the 22nd.
KGHW reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F. The lowest measured wind chill was -49F at 2:30AM on the 23rd.
KAXN reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -50F at 3AM on the 23rd.
KD39 reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -23F. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 9PM on the 22nd.
KLXL reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 7:30PM on the 22nd.
KSTC reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F. The lowest measured wind chill was -49F at 11PM on the 22nd.
Nearby KSTC reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F. The lowest measured wind chill was -49F at 11PM on the 22nd.
KJMR reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 2AM on the 23rd.
KBBB reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 1AM on the 23rd.
KBDH reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 3:30AM on the 23rd.
KPNM reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 7:30PM on the 22nd.
KMSP reported wind gusts as high as 35 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -21F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 2AM on the 23rd.
KMSP reported wind gusts as high as 35 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -21F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 2AM on the 23rd.
Nearby KMSP reported wind gusts as high as 35 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -21F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 2AM on the 23rd.
Nearby KFCM reported wind gusts as high as 45 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -22F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -46F at 1AM on the 23rd.
Nearby KFCM reported wind gusts as high as 45 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -22F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -46F at 1AM on the 23rd.
KHCD reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The lowest measured wind chill was -46F at 11PM on the 22nd.
Nearby KHCD in Hutchinson reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The lowest measured wind chill was -46F at 11PM on the 22nd.
Nearby KGYL reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 12AM on the 23rd.
KLJF reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 11PM on the 22nd.
KMGG reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The lowest measured wind chill was -48F at 12AM on the 23rd.
KCBG reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -46F at 2AM on the 23rd.
KANE reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -44F at 2AM on the 23rd.
KRWF reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -22F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -41F at 8AM on the 23rd.
KULM reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -42F at 12AM on the 23rd.
KJYG reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -46F at 2AM on the 23rd.
KOWA reported wind gusts as high as 35mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -22F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -49F at 2:30AM on the 23rd.
KSYN reported wind gusts as high as 30mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -42F at 1AM on the 23rd.
KFBL has missing data during this event. Nearby KSYN in Stanton reported wind gusts as high as 30mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -42F at 1AM on the 23rd.
K21D reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -23F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 5AM on the 23rd.
KMVE reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 2AM on the 23rd.
KROS reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -25F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -42F at 4:30AM on the 23rd.
Nearby KMKT reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 12AM on the 23rd.
Nearby KMKT reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 12AM on the 23rd.
KMKT reported wind gusts as high as 30 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 12AM on the 23rd.
KFRM reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -10F to -19F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 6AM on the 23rd.
Nearby KFRM reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -10F to -19F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 6AM on the 23rd.
KACQ reported wind gusts as high as 30mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -47F at 1AM on the 23rd.
KAEL reported wind gusts as high as 30mph during the evening as air temperatures dropped from -10F to -19F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -42F at 3AM on the 23rd.
KDXX reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 1AM on the 23rd.
KGDB reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph overnight as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -20F. The AWOS there measured its lowest wind chill of -39F at midnight, and nearby KDXX in Madison and KMVE measured wind chills as low as -45F during the morning of the 23rd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 2026
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: 1311027, 1311029, 1311033, 1311026, 1311035, 1311028, 1311053, 1311054, 1311056, 1311037, 1311041, 1311055, 1311821, 1311822, 1311823, 1311824, 1311825, 1311739, 1311741, 1311826, 1311046, 1311048, 1311057, 1311794, 1311830, 1311831, 1311836, 1311851, 1311862, 1311865, 1311763, 1311043, 1311059, 1311827, 1311828, 1311829, 1311841, 1311842, 1311853, 1311843, and more.