Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Olmsted, Minnesota

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

Event narrative

A period of extreme cold moved into the region late on January 22nd and continued into the morning hours on January 23rd. In Olmsted County, dangerously cold wind chills of around 40 to 50 degrees below zero were observed during this period with a coldest observed wind chill in the county of 50 degrees below zero at Rochester International Airport.

Wider weather episode

During the late evening hours on January 22nd and morning on January 23rd, an arctic airmass moved into the Upper Midwest resulting in dangerously cold temperatures across the region. Many locations saw low temperatures colder than 20 degrees below zero with widespread wind chills ranging between 30 to 55 degrees below zero across southeast Minnesota.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1313577. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.