Deep freeze brings AccuWeather RealFeel® Temps as low as minus 46 F
By
Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 14, 2020 10:50 PM EDT
This is one shirt you won't be wearing. Justin Frantzen shows off a shirt that froze after being left outside amid extreme cold in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Feb. 14.
The North-Central region of the United States faced extreme cold early Thursday and Friday mornings, with some cities hitting an AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature of less than minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
National Weather Service (NWS) forecaster for the Weather Prediction Center Bob Oravec told AccuWeather in a phone interview that these areas experienced, “the coldest temperatures of the year.”
Several daily temperature records were broken and tied across the region as the week drew to a close, including some dating all the way back to 1936. The mercury dropped to minus 18 degrees F in New Hampton, Iowa, tying a long-standing record from 1936.
The temperature plummeted to minus 32 degrees F in Hibbing, Minnesota, on Friday morning, beating the old record low for Feb. 14 of minus 31 degrees F set in 1970. Preston, Minnesota, bottomed out at minus 35 degrees F on Friday morning, shattering its previous record of minus 17 degrees F for the date set in 2007.
Temperatures in the North-Central United States, captured at approximately 11 a.m. on Feb. 14, 2020. The weather has continued to rise since sunrise. (AccuWeather)
Oravec said it can be tough to break records in the Upper Midwest during this time of the season and explained that while the weather late this past week brought the coldest of the season for many locations, this winter has generally been much warmer than average for a large portion of the country, including across the North-Central states.
The NWS reported that temperatures got as low as minus 35 degrees F in Cataract, Wisconsin, and Cotton, Minnesota, not accounting for windchill. With wind added as a factor, Oravec reported that many places throughout the region were minus 30 to minus 40 degrees F, with the peak being minus 42 degrees F recorded in Cataract.
The lowest recorded AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the region were mainly located in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker.
Various places in the area were still being recorded as being in the minus 30s and minus 40s at 12 p.m. CST Friday, including Grafton, North Dakota, which was recorded as having a RealFeel® temperature of minus 46 degrees F. Grand Forks, North Dakota, was also recorded as reaching minus 41 degrees F at one point.
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Oravec said Friday was the second day in a row for these temperatures in Wisconsin and Minnesota, which peaked just before sunrise at around 6-7 a.m. local time. Throughout the day, temperatures began to rise.
“People that have lived there are accustomed to having temperatures like this,” Oravec said. “… [although] I’m sure it’s not pleasant.”
AccuWeather meteorologists say the worst of the cold is over for the Midwestern states.
Sun halo in Fargo, North Dakota, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. This phenomenon can occur in extremely cold conditions. (Twitter/Ben Balas @bjbalas)
Come Sunday, the temperature could get down to the minus teens, but Oravec said the next round of cold air moving into the area will be nothing like the one that just occurred.
Walker said the reason for this sudden burst of cold in the region is due to air flow coming from Alaska and Canada, while the majority of the season has seen air flow traveling from west to east, drawing in air originating from the Pacific Ocean. The source of cold air can make a big difference, he added.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Deep freeze brings AccuWeather RealFeel® Temps as low as minus 46 F
By Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 14, 2020 10:50 PM EDT
This is one shirt you won't be wearing. Justin Frantzen shows off a shirt that froze after being left outside amid extreme cold in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Feb. 14.
The North-Central region of the United States faced extreme cold early Thursday and Friday mornings, with some cities hitting an AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature of less than minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
National Weather Service (NWS) forecaster for the Weather Prediction Center Bob Oravec told AccuWeather in a phone interview that these areas experienced, “the coldest temperatures of the year.”
Several daily temperature records were broken and tied across the region as the week drew to a close, including some dating all the way back to 1936. The mercury dropped to minus 18 degrees F in New Hampton, Iowa, tying a long-standing record from 1936.
The temperature plummeted to minus 32 degrees F in Hibbing, Minnesota, on Friday morning, beating the old record low for Feb. 14 of minus 31 degrees F set in 1970. Preston, Minnesota, bottomed out at minus 35 degrees F on Friday morning, shattering its previous record of minus 17 degrees F for the date set in 2007.
Temperatures in the North-Central United States, captured at approximately 11 a.m. on Feb. 14, 2020. The weather has continued to rise since sunrise. (AccuWeather)
Oravec said it can be tough to break records in the Upper Midwest during this time of the season and explained that while the weather late this past week brought the coldest of the season for many locations, this winter has generally been much warmer than average for a large portion of the country, including across the North-Central states.
The NWS reported that temperatures got as low as minus 35 degrees F in Cataract, Wisconsin, and Cotton, Minnesota, not accounting for windchill. With wind added as a factor, Oravec reported that many places throughout the region were minus 30 to minus 40 degrees F, with the peak being minus 42 degrees F recorded in Cataract.
The lowest recorded AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the region were mainly located in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker.
Various places in the area were still being recorded as being in the minus 30s and minus 40s at 12 p.m. CST Friday, including Grafton, North Dakota, which was recorded as having a RealFeel® temperature of minus 46 degrees F. Grand Forks, North Dakota, was also recorded as reaching minus 41 degrees F at one point.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Oravec said Friday was the second day in a row for these temperatures in Wisconsin and Minnesota, which peaked just before sunrise at around 6-7 a.m. local time. Throughout the day, temperatures began to rise.
“People that have lived there are accustomed to having temperatures like this,” Oravec said. “… [although] I’m sure it’s not pleasant.”
AccuWeather meteorologists say the worst of the cold is over for the Midwestern states.
Sun halo in Fargo, North Dakota, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. This phenomenon can occur in extremely cold conditions. (Twitter/Ben Balas @bjbalas)
Come Sunday, the temperature could get down to the minus teens, but Oravec said the next round of cold air moving into the area will be nothing like the one that just occurred.
Walker said the reason for this sudden burst of cold in the region is due to air flow coming from Alaska and Canada, while the majority of the season has seen air flow traveling from west to east, drawing in air originating from the Pacific Ocean. The source of cold air can make a big difference, he added.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo