Bitterly cold air settled in place over Minnesota after the snowstorm of January 25-27. A finger of high pressure extended across western Minnesota from Canada and moved very little. This kept the St. Paul Winter Carnival Ice Palace from any danger of melting and sent Minnesota into the deep freeze. The Twin Cities saw a low of -24 on January 30th, the last time it was this cold in the Twin Cities was seven years ago on December 26, 1996 when the low was -27. Grand Forks, North Dakota set its all-time record low with -44 on January 30th. The old record was -40 on February 1, 1996. The Grand Forks Airport record begins in 1941. The coldest temperatures reported from National Weather Service Cooperative Stations during this arctic outbreak was -47 at Cook Minnesota on January 29th and -48 on January 30th at Ada Minnesota. The -48 at Ada is the coldest temperature seen this winter thus far. It appears as though Park Rapids has the coldest windchill on January 30th with -65 at 8:00am. The temperature at Park Rapids was -44 with a wind speed of 7mph.

Listed below are statements about the cold courtesy the National Weather Service.

       
PUBLIC INFORAMTION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
845 AM CST THU JAN 29 2004

...VERY COLD MORNING ACROSS THE NORTHLAND....  
MANY AREAS OF THE NORTHLAND HAVE SEEN VERY COLD TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING.  
NORTHERLY WINDS AROUND A HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE DAKOTAS PUSHED
IN THE BITTERLY COLD AIR ACROSS THE REGION.  

LOW TEMPERATURES AS OF 800 AM:
DULUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT........................-30
THIS IS THE COLDEST SINCE FEBRUARY 2 1996 WHEN -39 WAS RECORDED.  

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE DULUTH .............-31
OTHER LOW TEMPERATURES:

MINNESOTA
COOK.......................-47
EMBARRASS..................-43
TOWER......................-40
INTERNATIONAL FALLS........-35   
LITTLE FORK................-35
BABBITT....................-33
SNOWBANK (25E ELY).........-31
HIBBING....................-29
WOLF RIDGE ELC 4E FINLAND..-28
12N ISLE...................-26
BRAINERD...................-24


WISCONSIN
DRUMMOND...........-26
SOLON SPRINGS......-26
BUTTERNUT..........-25
SUPERIOR...........-24
UPSON..............-24
HAYWARD............-24
ASHLAND............-22


RECORD EVENT REPORT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS 
830 AM CST FRI JAN 30 2003
...ALL TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE SET AT GRAND FORKS AIRPORT...
...RECORD LOW SET AT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS...

A NEW ALL TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 44 DEGREES 
BELOW ZERO WAS REACHED AT THE GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. 
THE PREVIOUS ALL TIME RECORD LOW FOR GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WAS 40 BELOW ZERO SET ON FEB 1, 1996. RECORD KEEPING AT 
THE GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BEGAN IN 1941.  

A NEW DAILY RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 39 DEGREES BELOW ZERO WAS 
SET AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN GRAND FORKS.
 THE OLD RECORD FOR THIS DATE WAS 36 DEGREES BELOW ZERO SET
BACK IN 1916. TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE/UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA BEGAN IN 1905.   

RECORD EVENT REPORT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS 
1000 AM CST FRI JAN 30 2003

...RECORD LOW SET AT FARGO HECTOR FIELD...
THE TEMPERATURE DIPPED TO 36 DEGREES BELOW ZERO AT HECTOR FIELD 
IN FARGO AT 0840 AM. THIS SET A NEW RECORD LOW FOR TODAY. 
THE OLD RECORD FOR TODAY WAS 34 DEGREES BELOW ZERO SET IN 1916.

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URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/cold040130.htm
Last modified: January 30, 2004