Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Scott, Minnesota

2025-02-18 · Scott, Minnesota

Event narrative

The wind chill dropped to -37 during the morning at the MNDOT RWIS site near New Prague and -36 during the morning at the MNDOT RWIS site several miles southwest of Belle Plaine.

Wider weather episode

A series of cold fronts brought a frigid Canadian air mass and breezy northwest winds from the night of February 16 to the morning of February 19. This was the second stretch of dangerously cold air for the region this winter with temperatures into the -10s to -30s F, and wind chill temperatures between -30 and -50 F from late on the 16th through the morning of the 19th.

The coldest conditions persisted the longest for portions of west-central MN, with Glenwood Municipal Airport recording the lowest wind chill (-47F) on the morning of February 17.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1232033. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.