Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Scott, Minnesota

2022-12-22 to 2022-12-23 · Scott, Minnesota

Event narrative

Airfield ASOS stations in neighboring counties recorded wind-chill temperatures below -35 for numerous hours. Strongest winds occurred in the late morning at 30-35 mph.

One direct fatality was reported on broadcast media. A 34-year-old male was found deceased due to exposure near the northbound ramp of I-35 and County Rd 2 in Elko New Market, MN. The Scott County Sherrif's Office reported that the deceased may have stolen a van and began to flee on foot in the single digit to below-zero temperatures.

Wider weather episode

Arctic air began moving across the Upper Midwest on Dec 21-22 following the snow. Winds increased from west to east across the forecast area, creating dangerously cold wind chills of -30 to -48F.

The coldest wind chill temperatures favored Western Minnesota given the physical geography of the land and lack of friction of surrounding structures. Morris Municipal Airport in Stevens County and Benson Municipal Airport in Swift County recorded the lowest observed wind chills at -48. Glenwood Airport in Pope County recorded -45 as well as St. James Municipal Airport in Watonwan County. The third lowest wind chill (-44) was observed at the Olivia Regional Airport in Renville County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1064379. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.