Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Iowa, Wisconsin

2026-01-23 · Iowa, Wisconsin

Event narrative

Widespread wind chills between 35 and 40 below zero observed countywide, with locally lower readings. Coldest wind chill of 44 below zero observed in Brigham.

Wider weather episode

Following an Arctic cold front passage on the afternoon of January 22, a bitterly cold air mass settled into southern Wisconsin and much of the Upper Midwest. Air temperatures in the single digits to teens below zero would reach southern Wisconsin by the morning of January 23, combining with brisk northwest winds to create widespread wind chills between 35 and 45 below. The conditions prompted Extreme Cold Warnings across all of southern Wisconsin, with most school districts canceling classes on January 23. The school cancellations extended all the way up to the university level, with both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University among major colleges electing to close on January 23. Extreme cold conditions continued over portions of central and east-central Wisconsin into the morning of January 24.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1302754. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.