Cold/Wind Chill — Dane, Wisconsin

2018-01-01 to 2018-01-06 · Dane, Wisconsin

Event narrative

Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero, and low temperatures below zero occurred at times during this period of prolonged arctic air. The Dane County Medical Examiner confirmed four deaths due to hypothermia. Four businesses and two apartments suffered water damage from burst pipes, but more instances of frozen and burst pipes likely occurred. On January 4th, buckling pavement on the Beltline Highway caused a 12 car accident in the morning with another occurrence of buckling in the evening. Both resulted in closed lanes for clean-up and repair. Over a dozen water main breaks occurred in the city of Madison and likely more across Dane County. Some public and private events were cancelled.

Wider weather episode

Bitterly cold air and wind chill temperatures prevailed over southern WI from Christmas Day through January 6th. Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero occurred at times with low temperatures below zero for most nights. There are eight known deaths related to hypothermia. Water main breaks and frozen pipes in homes and businesses were a common occurrence across southern WI. Some water damage occurred indoors due to pipes bursting. The cold conditions also caused pavement to buckle on the Beltline Highway in Madison on two separate occasions with one causing a 12 vehicle accident. Some public and private events were cancelled.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 727673. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.