Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in Green Lake, Wisconsin

Widespread wind chills in the -30 to -35 degree range were observed from 1145 PM January 20 through the mid morning hours of January 21. Coldest wind chill of -34 was observed in Berlin.

Strong polar high pressure moved into the northern Great Plains late January 20 into January 21, allowing an arctic air mass to stream into the western Great Lakes. The overnight arrival of the air mass allowed low temperatures to fall to or below -10 degrees across the majority of southern Wisconsin by sunrise January 21. Breezy north winds combined with the frigid air temperatures to support widespread, extremely cold wind chills in the -30 to -40 degree range across most of southern Wisconsin. As a result of the extremely cold wind chills, virtually every southern Wisconsin school district canceled classes on January 21.