Cold/Wind Chill in Minnesota

Events

1,099

Deaths

21

Injuries

15

Damage

$505,000

• Cold in Minnesota, January 14 to 16, 20092 deaths · 42 eventsThe upper level pattern the second week of January had a very strong long-wave trough across the Great Lakes region that basically caused significant arctic air to invade the upper Midwest.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 5, 20052 deaths · 1 eventAn elderly couple became stranded in their van after it became stuck in a snow drift on rural 176th Lane in Lincoln Township in Blue Earth County. When rescue workers found the missing vehicle they discovered that the husband and wife had died of exposure.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 2, 20141 death · 5 eventsDangerously cold wind chills of -40 to -50 developed across parts of northeast Minnesota. A Virginia man froze to death after leaving a nearby bar. He was last seen at a local bar around midnight. His body was found February 3rd a half-block from where he was least seen.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 15, 20051 death · 1 eventA disabled woman was found dead of exposure outside of Como Park Conservatory. She arrived at the conservatory via cab for a wedding around 7 PM on the 15th but was never seen inside the building.
• Cold in Minnesota, March 7, 20081 death · 1 eventAn elderly woman was found dead lying outside her home at 12:11 pm. It is believed she fell, broke her hip and died of hypothermia. The low temperature in Brainerd that morning was -25F and the high temperature for the day was 14F.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 3, 20111 death · 1 eventRachael Lavonna Rupert was found unresponsive lying outside her home at 8:00 am. According to the Itasca County sheriff's office, she likely slipped, fell and was unable to recuperate herself and succumbed to the cold. There is no estimate to the time of her fall.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 17, 20121 death · 1 eventA 95 year old man died of hypothermia after locking himself out of his residence. The temperature that evening was -1 F at 9:00 pm and fell to -6 F by midnight.
• Cold in Minnesota, February 27 to 28, 20121 death · 1 eventAn elderly man's body was found covered in snow on March 1st. According to the county coroner, he died of exposure. A snowmobiler discovered the man's car on a snowmobile trail, about 1.5 miles from Highway 23. His body was outside the car.
• Cold in Minnesota, December 2 to 3, 20141 death · 1 eventCold temperatures across southeast Minnesota contributed to the death of an elderly lady in Rochester (Olmsted County). The woman wandered away from her house on the evening of December 2nd without her coat or purse.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 14, 20141 death · 1 eventA 54 year old Embarrass, MN woman was found froze to death at the end of her driveway. She had apparently went out to look for her dog and slipped. Law enforcement officials reported that she appeared impaired and was not dressed for the subzero temperatures.
• Cold in Minnesota, February 5 to 7, 20141 death · 1 eventA man was found dead in a snowbank near a driveway. It is believed he fell into the snowbank and died of the cold. Hypothermia was listed as cause of death. The low temperature that morning in Hibbing was -16 degrees F.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 9 to 10, 20141 death · 1 eventAn 83 year old woman was last seen leaving her home in Melrose (Stearns County) on the afternoon of January 9. It appears as if her car got stuck in a snow bank near a farm and she began walking for help. She was found dead the afternoon of the 10th.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 3, 20151 death · 1 eventA woman was found dead on a walking/bike trail about a quarter mile from where she was last seen walking three days earlier. Temperatures around the time of her disappearance were in the teens below zero.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 14, 20161 death · 1 eventA man was found deceased in a park. He had last been seen at about 1 am. The low temperature that morning was 5 degrees. An autopsy revealed he had died of hypothermia.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 15, 20161 death · 1 eventAn elderly woman passed away from exposure after wandering away from a Rochester (Olmsted County) care facility. The woman left the building very early January 15th and was found about 5 hours later. She was only wearing pants, a shirt and bathrobe.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 12, 20171 death · 1 eventLocal media reported on the accidental death of a young male found in a park in the city of Eveleth, Minnesota. Autopsy report concluded the male had succumbed to hypothermia due to exposure to the cold.
• Cold in Minnesota, December 16, 20171 death · 1 eventA man and his dog were found deceased in a cabin in the Saginaw area. Authorities determined that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator running inside the cabin.
• Cold in Minnesota, February 24 to 25, 20181 death · 1 eventOn the morning of the 25th, the Cass County Sheriff's Office received a report of an unresponsive male in a fish house on Leech Lake. The 21 year old male was pronounced deceased upon arrival at the hospital.
• Cold in Minnesota, October 26, 20201 death · 1 eventAn elderly lady was found dead on the southwest side of Rochester (Olmsted County) with the death likely caused by hypothermia.
• Cold in Minnesota, March 8 to 9, 2003$500,000 · 24 eventsA fairly compact ridge of high pressure brought clear skies and brisk west/northwest winds to portions of northwest and west central Minnesota. High temperatures on the 8th were only in the single digits above and below zero.
• Cold in Minnesota, December 3, 201712 injured · 1 eventSeven people were evacuated from their residence and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. Several first responders also had to be evaluated due to exposure of the gas.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 14 to 16, 200959 eventsVery cold arctic air sank into the Northern Plains in mid January 2009. The light winds of 5 to 15 mph at times caused wind chills to run 40 to 60 below zero across much of west central and northwestern Minnesota. Wind chills fell to 40 to 50 below zero Wednesday.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 31, 199649 eventsExtremely cold air settled over the area on January 31st, and remained entrenched through February 4th. A new record low temperature for Minnesota was set in the town of Tower on 2/2.
• Cold in Minnesota, February 1 to 4, 199649 eventsExtremely cold air settled over the area on January 31st, and lingered through February 4th. A new record low temperature for the state of Minnesota was set in the the town of Tower on 2/2 when the mercury dipped to 60 below.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 18 to 19, 199642 eventsMore than 475 schools including those in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area were closed due to extreme cold and wind chill which lingered from the 18th when very cold air overspread the region. Wind chills were frequently 50 below zero or colder.

Cold/Wind Chill everywhereEvery kind of event in Minnesota

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.