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Dangerous Wind Chills/Blowing Snow
of February 9-10, 2008

[Wind Chill] [Wind Gusts] [Temperature Change] [Snow]


What Happened?

An arctic front pushed through the Upper Mississippi River Valley Saturday afternoon, February 9th, bringing some light snow as it moved through. Amounts were small, mostly an inch or less.  More significantly, the front brought with it strong winds and appreciably colder air.

The winds picked up in the afternoon, and by the evening most locations were blowing from the northwest at 15 to 30 mph.  Gusts were even higher, gusting over 45 mph in some locations. The strong winds blew around the falling, and already fallen snow, leading to some blowing and drifting of the snow.  This was more a problem for open and unsheltered areas (such as southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa), along with area ridge-tops.  Some of the drifting led to treacherous travel and nearly impassable rural roads early Sunday morning (the 10th).

The cold air funneled in Saturday night, with temperatures tumbling into the single digits and teens below zero Sunday morning.  Factoring in the strong winds, wind chill readings of 30 to 45 degrees below zero were common from late Saturday night through early Sunday morning.  There was some decrease in the winds that afternoon, but bitter cold still persisted as temperatures stayed below zero and which chills ranged from -20 to -30.

In response to these dangerous winter conditions, the NWS in La Crosse issued winter weather advisories  for Saturday afternoon and evening, with wind chill warnings overnight Saturday through Sunday morning. A wind chill advisory was needed for Sunday afternoon as the dangerous wind chills persisted.

Dangerous Wind Chills

February 9 and 10, 2008 Lowest Wind Chills

 

...MINIMUM WIND CHILLS...

STATION                   COUNTY              TIME WIND CHILL

DEXTER RWIS               MOWER             741 AM    -46 F
MEDFORD AWOS              TAYLOR            835 AM    -46 F
CENTURY HIGH SCHOOL AWS   OLMSTED           844 AM    -46 F
ST CHARLES 4W RWIS        OLMSTED           801 AM    -45 F
LOYAL SCHOOL AWS          CLARK             844 AM    -44 F
BYRON/KASSON RWIS         DODGE             834 AM    -43 F
ROCHESTER ASOS            OLMSTED           854 AM    -43 F
PRESTON AWOS              FILLMORE          815 AM    -43 F
MFL MARMAC ES/HS MONONA IA CLAYTON          844 AM    -42 F
FRIENDSHIP AWS            ADAMS             744 AM    -42 F
DODGE CENTER AWOS         DODGE             835 AM    -41 F
WILLOW CREEK - KIMT       OLMSTED           736 AM    -39 F
RICEVILLE - KIMT          HOWARD            816 AM    -39 F
VOLK FIELD                JUNEAU            855 AM    -39 F
JOHN ADAMS - KIMT         OLMSTED           656 AM    -39 F
STANLEY 1 SE RWIS         CHIPPEWA          703 AM    -39 F
AUSTIN AWOS               MOWER             836 AM    -39 F
NEW HAMPTON AWS           CHICKASAW         709 AM    -38 F
TOMAH 4N RWIS             MONROE            807 AM    -38 F
RICHLAND CENTER AWS       RICHLAND          644 AM    -37 F
WSU CAMPUS                WINONA            644 AM    -37 F
WISC DELLS AWOS           SAUK              555 AM    -37 F
CRESCO KIMT               HOWARD            622 AM    -37 F
PRESTON KIMT              FILLMORE          556 AM    -37 F
ALMA AWS                  BUFFALO           629 AM    -37 F
MOUNT STERLING 1S RWIS    CRAWFORD          708 AM    -37 F
NECEDAH RAWS              JUNEAU            548 AM    -37 F
ARCADIA HILL RWIS         TREMPEALEAU       510 AM    -36 F
BUFFALO LUTHERAN AWS      BUFFALO           859 AM    -36 F
TURKEY VALLEY AWS         CHICKASAW         644 AM    -36 F
ROCHESTER LINCOLN AWS     OLMSTED           645 AM    -35 F
CRESTWOOD AWS             HOWARD            709 AM    -35 F
PLAINVIEW AWS             WABASHA           644 AM    -35 F
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN AWS      CRAWFORD          759 AM    -35 F
RIVERDALE SCHOOL AWS      GRANT             709 AM    -35 F
CHARLES CITY AWOS         FLOYD             455 AM    -35 F
LA CROSSE ASOS            LA CROSSE         848 AM    -35 F
FENNIMORE ELEMENTARY AWS  GRANT             859 AM    -34 F
OELWEIN AWOS              FAYETTE           655 AM    -34 F
SPARTA AWOS               MONROE            855 AM    -33 F
OSAGE - KIMT              MITCHELL          716 AM    -33 F
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN AWOS     CRAWFORD          815 AM    -32 F
WINONA AWOS               WINONA            717 AM    -32 F
DECORAH AWOS              WINNESHIEK        535 AM    -31 F
BOSCOBEL ASOS             GRANT             653 AM    -29 F
DICKEYVILLE RWIS          GRANT             503 AM    -26 F

KEY TO OBSERVATION TYPES
AWS - SENSORS FROM AWS INCORPORATED. OFTEN LOCATED AT SCHOOLS.
RWIS - ROAD WEATHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS. LOCATED ON MAJOR ROADS AND BRIDGES.
RAWS - FIRE WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. OFTEN LOCATED IN FORESTS.
ASOS/AWOS - AVIATION WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. LOCATED AT AIRPORTS.

OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING EQUIPMENT
AND EXPOSURE.  NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.


 

Temperature Drop

Behind the arctic cold front, temperatures fell from late Saturday (February 9th) morning and afternoon through  Sunday morning (February 10th).  During this time period, temperatures fell anywhere from 34 to 42 degrees across northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin.  The largest drop in temperature (42 degrees) occurred in central and north central Wisconsin (Friendship, Loyal, and Medford).

In Northeast Iowa...
                                               High    Low
                                        Temp   Temp    Temp
Location                    County      Fall   Feb 9  Feb 10
--------                    ------      ----   ----   ------
Crestwood AWS               Howard       39     26     -13
New Hampton AWS             Chickasaw    38     24     -14
Turkey Valley AWS           Chickasaw    38     26     -12
Riceville - KIMT            Howard       37     24     -13
Charles City AWOS           Floyd        36     28      -8
Cresco KIMT                 Howard       36     24     -12
Osage - KIMT                Mitchell     36     24     -12
Decorah AWOS                Winneshiek   36     28      -8
Oelwein AWOS                Fayette      34     28      -6

In Southeast Minnesota...

                                               High    Low
                                        Temp   Temp    Temp
Location                    County      Fall   Feb 9  Feb 10
--------                    ------      ----   ----   ------
Plainview AWS               Wabasha      41     25     -16
WSU Campus                  Winona       40     28     -12
Willow Creek - KIMT         Olmsted      40     25     -15
Century High School AWS     Olmsted      39     21     -18
Rochester Kellogg - KIMT    Olmsted      39     24     -15
Rochester Lincoln AWS       Olmsted      39     23     -16
Austin AWOS                 Mower        38     27     -11
Dexter RWIS                 Mower        38     24     -14
Dodge Center AWOS           Dodge        38     25     -13
Grand Meadow - KIMT         Mower        38     22     -16
Preston AWOS                Fillmore     38     27     -11
St Charles 4W RWIS          Olmsted      38     24     -14
Winona AWOS                 Winona       38     30      -8
Byron/Kasson RWIS           Dodge        37     23     -14
Albert Lea - KIMT           Freeborn     37     23     -14
Preston KIMT                Fillmore     37     25     -12
Rochester ASOS              Olmsted      37     25     -12
Rochester - John Adams      Olmsted      37     23     -14  

In Western Wisconsin...
                                              
                                               High    Low
                                        Temp   Temp    Temp
Location                    County      Fall   Feb 9  Feb 10
--------                    ------      ----   ----   ------
Friendship AWS              Adams        42     25     -17
Loyal School AWS            Clark        42     26     -16
Medford AWOS                Taylor       42     25     -17
Prairie Du Chien AWS        Crawford     41     30     -11
Richland Center AWS         Richland     41     28     -13
Fennimore Elementary AWS    Grant        40     28     -12
Riverdale School AWS        Grant        40     29     -11
Alma AWS                    Buffalo      39     23     -16
Buffalo Lutheran AWS        Buffalo      39     25     -14
Tomah 4N RWIS               Monroe       39     28     -11
Black River Falls RAWS      Jackson      38     27     -11
Necedah RAWS                Juneau       38     27     -11
Wisc Dells AWOS             Sauk         38     28     -10
Boscobel ASOS               Grant        37     31      -6
Jackson Pass 5W Tomah RWIS  Monroe       37     26     -11
La Crosse ASOS              La Crosse    37     27     -10
Mount Sterling 1S RWIS      Crawford     37     27     -10
Volk Field                  Juneau       37     26     -11
Dickeyville RWIS            Grant        36     29      -7
La Crosse - NWS             La Crosse    36     24     -12
Prairie Du Chien AWOS       Crawford     36     28      -8
Sparta AWOS                 Monroe       36     28      -8
Arcadia Hill RWIS           Trempealeau  35     23     -12

Strong Winds

February 9 and 10, 2008 Highest Wind Gusts

 

 

...HIGHEST WINDS SORTED BY GUSTS...

STATION                   COUNTY              TIME    SPEED     GUST

DEXTER RWIS               MOWER             806 PM   33 MPH   46 MPH
PRESTON AWOS              FILLMORE         1015 PM   36 MPH   46 MPH
ROCHESTER ASOS            OLMSTED           511 PM   36 MPH   45 MPH
ST CHARLES 4W RWIS        OLMSTED           216 PM   31 MPH   44 MPH
BYRON/KASSON RWIS         DODGE             949 PM   29 MPH   44 MPH
MOUNT STERLING 1S RWIS    CRAWFORD          208 AM   23 MPH   44 MPH
OELWEIN AWOS              FAYETTE           135 AM   31 MPH   43 MPH
CHARLES CITY AWOS         FLOYD             135 AM   31 MPH   43 MPH
ARCADIA HILL RWIS         TREMPEALEAU      1010 PM   22 MPH   41 MPH
DODGE CENTER AWOS         DODGE            1035 PM   25 MPH   41 MPH
STANLEY 1 SE RWIS         CHIPPEWA         1103 PM   25 MPH   41 MPH
AUSTIN AWOS               MOWER            1256 PM   31 MPH   41 MPH
VOLK FIELD                JUNEAU            655 PM   25 MPH   40 MPH
MEDFORD AWOS              TAYLOR            535 PM   29 MPH   39 MPH
NECEDAH RAWS              JUNEAU            248 AM   21 MPH   39 MPH
TOMAH 4N RWIS             MONROE           1207 AM   23 MPH   36 MPH
WISC DELLS AWOS           SAUK              315 AM   14 MPH   35 MPH
LA CROSSE ASOS            LA CROSSE        1253 AM   18 MPH   33 MPH
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN AWOS     CRAWFORD          856 PM   21 MPH   33 MPH
WINONA AWOS               WINONA           1017 PM   22 MPH   32 MPH
SPARTA AWOS               MONROE           1235 AM   25 MPH   32 MPH
DECORAH AWOS              WINNESHIEK        155 PM   20 MPH   31 MPH
DICKEYVILLE RWIS          GRANT             203 AM   15 MPH   31 MPH
BOSCOBEL ASOS             GRANT            1253 AM   22 MPH   31 MPH

 

 

KEY TO OBSERVATION TYPES
AWS - SENSORS FROM AWS INCORPORATED. OFTEN LOCATED AT SCHOOLS.
RWIS - ROAD WEATHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS. LOCATED ON MAJOR ROADS AND BRIDGES.
RAWS - FIRE WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. OFTEN LOCATED IN FORESTS.
ASOS/AWOS - AVIATION WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. LOCATED AT AIRPORTS.

OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING EQUIPMENT
AND EXPOSURE. NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.


Snow Amounts

...24 HOUR SNOWFALL TOTALS AND SNOW DEPTH ACROSS THE AREA...

 

LOCATION                      SNOWFALL    DEPTH    LAT/LON
 

 

IOWA

...ALLAMAKEE COUNTY...
LANSING 4SE 0.6 9 43.32N 91.16W
WAUKON 2.0 14 43.27N 91.48W

...CLAYTON COUNTY...
ELKADER 6SSW 0.2 10 42.79N 91.45W
VOLGA 1NE T 11 42.81N 91.52W

...FAYETTE COUNTY...
FAYETTE T 3 42.85N 91.82W

...FLOYD COUNTY...
CHARLES CITY COOP T 5 43.08N 92.67W

...HOWARD COUNTY...
CRESCO 0.7 3 43.39N 92.09W
ELMA 0.2 10 43.24N 92.44W

MINNESOTA

...HOUSTON COUNTY...
CALEDONIA 0.4 7 43.69N 91.50W

...MOWER COUNTY...
GRAND MEADOW 0.8 9 43.71N 92.56W

...OLMSTED COUNTY...
ELGIN 2SSW 1.0 11 44.10N 92.27W
ROCHESTER INTL AIRPORT 0.2 8 43.91N 92.50W

...WABASHA COUNTY...
LAKE CITY COOP 1.3 10 44.43N 92.28W
WABASHA 0.8 10 44.39N 92.05W
ZUMBRO FALLS 1.5 13 44.29N 92.43W

...WINONA COUNTY...
WINONA DAM 5A 1.0 11 44.09N 91.67W

WISCONSIN

...ADAMS COUNTY...
FRIENDSHIP 0.6 8 43.98N 89.83W

...CLARK COUNTY...
NEILLSVILLE 3SW T 15 44.53N 90.64W

...CRAWFORD COUNTY...
GAYS MILLS 1.3 9 43.32N 90.85W

...JUNEAU COUNTY...
NECEDAH 2SE 0.4 10 44.00N 90.04W

...LA CROSSE COUNTY...
LA CROSSE AIRPORT 0.5 7 43.88N 91.26W

...MONROE COUNTY...
WARRENS 5WSW 0.8 13 44.10N 90.59W

...TAYLOR COUNTY...
MEDFORD T 19 45.13N 90.34W

...TREMPEALEAU COUNTY...
BLAIR 0.2 9 44.29N 91.22W
OSSEO 0.5 13 44.58N 91.22W

...VERNON COUNTY...
WESTBY 3ENE 1.0 4 43.67N 90.81W

OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING
EQUIPMENT AND EXPOSURE. NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.