Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Scott, Minnesota

2026-01-22 to 2026-01-23 · Scott, Minnesota

Event narrative

Nearby KFCM reported wind gusts as high as 45 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -22F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -46F at 1AM on the 23rd.

Wider weather episode

A push of dangerously cold air spread across the Upper Midwest behind a series of strong arctic fronts from January 21 through January 23. Wind chills dropped into the -40s across much of the region, with AXN in Alexandria reporting the coldest wind chill of -50F during this stretch of extreme cold. The strongest winds did not line up with the coolest temperatures, limiting wind chills from getting any colder than -50F.

The peak of the coldest conditions occurred from the evening on the 22nd into the morning of the 23rd. Very cold air temperatures around -10 to -20 below continued until the morning of the 26th, though winds were generally at or below 10 mph, limiting wind chills from dropping below -35F.

The lowest wind chills were:

-50F at AXN in Alexandria, MN.

-49F at STC in St Cloud, MN.

-49F at OWA in Owatonna, MN.

-49F at GHW in Glenwood, MN.

-47F at MSP in the Twin Cities, MN.

-47F at BDH in Willmar, MN.

-47F at CFE in Buffalo, MN.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1311824. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.