National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Heat Wave Expands to the East Coast; Flash Flooding Likely in the Central Plains into the Midwest; Severe Thunderstorms in the Northeast

Dangerous, prolonged heat is ongoing in the Mid-South to Mid-Mississippi Valley and heat expands into the Northeast for a brief period today. Widely scattered instances of flash flooding due to heavy rains are forecast from northeast Kansas to much of Indiana. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of New England, northern Mid-Atlantic, and North Dakota. Read More >

Overview

In late January 2019, a historic arctic outbreak brought bitterly cold wind chills and record-breaking cold temperatures to the Midwest. Many schools and some businesses and government offices were closed for three days, with USPS mail delivery even suspended on Wednesday, January 30th due to extremely dangerous wind chills. The coldest temperatures occurred on the morning on January 31st when Cotton, MN recorded a low of -56, approaching the Minnesota state record low of -60 set back in 1996. The low of -56 at Cotton, MN was the coldest temperature recorded in the Lower 48 for this entire period of cold weather!

 

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Local and national media outlets check out the official NWS Cooperative Observer temperature sensor in Cotton, MN. (Photo: NWS)