Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in Big Stone, Minnesota

An intense Arctic airmass moved through the region between February 17 and February 19, bringing dangerously cold wind chills. On the morning of the 17th, wind chills were recorded as low as 45 degrees below zero at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) weather stations located 4 miles southeast of Ortonville and 3 miles south-southwest of Graceville. The Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at Wheaton also recorded a wind chill of 40 degrees below zero, with a low temperature of 20 degrees below zero that morning. Additionally, the high temperatures observed at the Wheaton AWOS were only 9 degrees below zero on the 17th and 6 degrees below zero on the 18th. The temperature at the MNDOT station in Graceville did not rise above zero until February 19, when it reached a high of 1 degree.