Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Vilas, Wisconsin

2026-01-22 to 2026-01-24 · Vilas, Wisconsin

Event narrative

The combination of cold temperatures and gusty winds caused wind chill values to fall to -35 to -53 degrees from Thursday evening (1/22) through Saturday morning (1/24).

Wider weather episode

An arctic airmass brought very cold temperatures to the entire region Thursday evening (1/22) through Saturday morning (1/24). Winds of 15 to 25 mph combined with low temperatures of 15 to 30 below zero brought wind chill values down to 30 to 55 below zero Thursday evening (1/22) through Friday morning (1/23). Temperatures did not warm much Friday afternoon, with daytime highs ranging from 5 to 15 below zero, offering little relief from the cold, with wind chill values at or near extreme cold criteria, even in the afternoon. Plummeting overnight temperatures Friday night (1/23) into Saturday morning (1/24) of 15 to near 40 below zero once again pushed wind chill values down to 30 to near 50 below zero. Temperatures had finally warmed to above extreme cold criteria late Saturday morning (1/24) but remained cold through the weekend.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1301078. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.