From NWS Duluth, MN, an old record beaten by five degrees:

RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 518 PM CST FRI JAN 21 2011 ...RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE SET AT INTERNATIONAL FALLS MN... A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF -46 DEGREES WAS SET AT INTERNATIONAL FALLS MN TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF -41 SET IN 1954.

Here is a map (above) of a few notable low temperatures across the area. The contoured shading in the background was created by interpolating the observations using GIS software. Therefore, the contours may not necessarily match individual observations, but the overall trend in temperatures is pretty close. Areas near Lake Superior managed to stay much warmer than outlying areas, and you can even detect a hint of urban heat influences around the Twin Cities.

The above pictures are from Babbitt, Minnesota where a frigid morning low temperature of -46 degrees was recorded on January 21, 2011. The pictures were taken by observer Ryan Scharber. The pictures show ice fog, which is usually a shallow fog consisting of suspended ice crystals. Ice fog usually only occurs when temperatures fall below -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 Celsius) according to the AMS Glossary. Normally, fog consists of tiny water droplets, or supercooled water droplets. However, when temperatures are as cold as they were this morning in parts of northern Minnesota, it becomes too cold for liquid water to exist, and small ice crystals can develop if the amount of water vapor in the air is sufficient.

Some notes of interest:

The lowest temperatures recorded in the NWS Duluth county warning area were -46 degrees at both International Falls, MN (ASOS) and Babbitt, MN (CO-OP).

The -46 degree low was tied for the 5th lowest on record at International Falls. Temperature records date back to 1897. The record is -55 degrees which was recorded on January 6, 1909.

The -46 degree low was tied for the lowest on record at the International Falls Airport. The official observing station was moved to the airport in 1939. This is tied with the -46 degree reading from January 6, 1968.

The -25 degree low at Duluth is tied for the 5th lowest minimum temperature in the last decade (since 2000). The lowest minimum temperature of the 2000s thus far has been -30 on January 29, 2004.

The state record low temperature in Minnesota was recorded at Tower, Minnesota on February 2, 1996. The low was -60 degrees. That was also the coldest temperature ever recorded east of the Mississippi River.

The state record low temperature in Wisconsin was recorded at Couderay on February 2nd and February 4th of 1996. The temperatures dipped down to -55 degrees both nights.

List Of Coldest Morning Lows

THE FOLLOWING ARE OBSERVED LOW TEMPERATURES THROUGH 900 AM FRIDAY JANUARY 21 2011. TEMPERATURES ARE IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. TEMP LOCATION ST COUNTY SOURCE ---- ----------------------- -- -------------- ------- -46 INTERNATIONAL FALLS MN KOOCHICHING ASOS -46 BABBITT MN ST LOUIS COOP -43 EMBARRASS MN ST LOUIS COOP -43 BIGFORK MN ITASCA RAWS -43 ASH LAKE MN ST LOUIS MNDOT -43 EFFIE MN ITASCA RAWS -40 LITTLEFORK MN KOOCHICHING COOP -40 BIRCHDALE MN KOOCHICHING MNDOT TEMP LOCATION ST COUNTY SOURCE ---- ----------------------- -- -------------- ------- -39 ORR MN ST LOUIS RAWS -38 MINONG WI WASHBURN RAWS -38 CASS LAKE MN CASS RAWS -38 SQUAW LAKE MN ITASCA MNDOT -38 CUTFOOT MN ITASCA RAWS -38 BOVEY MN ITASCA PRIVATE -38 KABETOGAMA MN ST LOUIS COOP -38 CRANE LAKE MN ST LOUIS AWOS -37 MARGIE MN KOOCHICHING MNDOT -37 HILL CITY MN ITASCA RAWS -37 ELY MN ST LOUIS RAWS -37 RICE LAKE MN AITKIN RAWS -36 LONG LAKE MN ITASCA PRIVATE -36 JACOBSON MN AITKIN MNDOT -36 BARNES WI BAYFIELD RAWS -36 COTTON MN ST LOUIS MNDOT -36 MAKINEN MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE -36 LONGVILLE MN CASS AWOS -36 PINE RIVER MN CASS AWOS -36 SEAGULL LAKE MN COOK RAWS -36 WRIGHT MN ST LOUIS COOP -35 LAKE VERMILION MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE -35 KABETOGAMA MN ST LOUIS RAWS TEMP LOCATION ST COUNTY SOURCE ---- ----------------------- -- -------------- ------- -34 MCGRATH MN AITKIN MNDOT -34 ASH RIVER MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE -34 GUNFLINT LAKE MN COOK COOP -34 HAYWARD WI SAWYER RAWS -34 LIND WI BURNETT RAWS -34 MOOSE LAKE MN CARLTON RAWS -33 GRAND RAPIDS MN ITASCA AWOS -33 SAGINAW MN ST LOUIS MNDOT -33 COHASSET MN ITASCA PRIVATE -33 MCGREGOR MN AITKIN AWOS -33 AITKIN MN AITKIN AWOS -33 HIBBING MN ST LOUIS RAWS -33 JENKINS MN CROW WING PRIVATE -33 EMILY MN CROW WING MNDOT -33 BRAINERD MN CROW WING ASOS -33 MOOSE LAKE MN CARLTON AWOS -33 SOUTH RANGE WI DOUGLAS PRIVATE -32 GRANTSBURG WI BURNETT PRIVATE -31 SILVER BAY MN LAKE AWOS -31 TWO HARBORS MN LAKE AWOS -31 LEADER MN CASS PRIVATE -31 DEER RIVER MN ITASCA PRIVATE -31 SIREN WI BURNETT AWOS -31 GRANTSBURG WI BURNETT WIDOT -31 HINCKLEY MN PINE PRIVATE -30 BREEZY POINT MN CROW WING PRIVATE -30 TUCKER LAKE MN COOK PRIVATE -30 GLIDDEN WI ASHLAND RAWS -30 GORDON WI DOUGLAS RAWS TEMP LOCATION ST COUNTY SOURCE ---- ----------------------- -- -------------- ------- -29 I-35 MILE 198 MN PINE MNDOT -29 SEELEY WI SAWYER PRIVATE -29 4W CLAM LAKE WI BAYFIELD PRIVATE -29 CANOSIA TOWNSHIP MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE -29 GILBERT MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE -29 ISABELLA MN LAKE RAWS -28 10 NE DULUTH MN ST LOUIS SCHOOL -28 AURORA MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE -28 NISSWA MN CROW WING PRIVATE -28 MERRIFIELD MN CROW WING PRIVATE -27 SPOONER WI WASHBURN SCHOOL -27 HERMANTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL MN ST LOUIS SCHOOL -27 HAUGEN WI WASHBURN WIDOT -26 DRUMMOND WI BAYFIELD SCHOOL -26 SUPERIOR WI DOUGLAS AWOS -26 PHILLIPS WI PRICE AWOS -25 FERNBERG MN LAKE RAWS -25 WASHBURN WI BAYFIELD RAWS -25 PINE CITY MN PINE SCHOOL -25 DULUTH MN ST LOUIS ASOS -24 DULUTH THOMPSON HILL MN ST LOUIS MNDOT -24 I-35 MILE 181 MN PINE MNDOT -22 HIGH BRIDGE WI ASHLAND PRIVATE -22 MAPLE WI DOUGLAS PRIVATE -22 BLATNIK BRIDGE MN ST LOUIS MNDOT -21 LESTER PARK / DULUTH MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE -21 SILVER CREEK MN LAKE PRIVATE -20 CHESTER PARK / DULUTH MN ST LOUIS PRIVATE

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BTW, International Falls holds the registered trademark of Icebox of the Nation

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