Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in West Polk, Minnesota

A surface low tracked across North Dakota and into north central Minnesota on Monday, January 28th. A strong surface pressure gradient set up over eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minnesota as the low pushed into southwest Ontario Monday night. Cold air rushed into the area by Tuesday morning, which dropped temperatures to five below to twenty below zero, with the coldest temperatures in the Devils Lake (ND) region. Temperatures remained steady or continued to fall during the day Tuesday, with wind chills ranging from 40 below to 50 below zero. Tuesday night lows fell to the 20s below zero, with the coldest lows again around the Devils Lake (ND) region. High pressure finally built into the area on Wednesday afternoon, which allowed wind speeds to relax. Some schools cancelled classes on Tuesday, while several other schools started 2 hours late. A woman was found dead from hypothermia five miles north of East Grand Forks after she had apparently walked away from her stranded vehicle early Wednesday morning.