Boiling water in the cold tossed in the air, shot from a Super Soaker
Journal Sentinel photographer Mike De Sisti demonstrates how boiling water reacts to the cold when tossed in the air and shot through a Super Soaker.
Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Despite wind chills below -40 degrees, Milwaukee has not set any temperature records on Friday, Jan. 23, according to the National Weather Service.
As of 11 a.m., unofficial observations show the air temperature in Milwaukee dropped to a low of -15 degrees and the wind chill to a low of -42 degrees, according to Marcia Cronce, a meteorologist with the Milwaukee/Sullivan NWS office.
The last time Milwaukee hit air temperatures that low was on Jan. 31, 2019, when the temperature dropped to -23 degrees, Cronce said. However, even the 2019 record is several degrees above Milwaukee’s coldest-ever recorded day.
As of Friday, Cronce said the coldest wind chills have passed, but the frigid temperatures won’t let up over the weekend.
“The temperatures are still going to be very cold tonight,” Cronce said. “The low temperature forecast overnight is -13 near Lake Michigan and -15 for inland Milwaukee County, and western Waukesha may see repeat low temperatures of -17 to -18.”
Here’s what to know about Milwaukee’s temperature records:
What was Milwaukee’s coldest-ever Jan. 23?
It may be hard to believe, but Friday did not mark Milwaukee’s coldest-ever Jan. 23 on record.
That title goes to Jan. 23, 1883, when the air temperature hit a low of -23 degrees, according to Cronce.
What is Milwaukee’s coldest recorded temperature?
Milwaukee’s lowest recorded temperature is more than ten degrees colder than what the city saw Friday: on both Jan. 17, 1982 and Feb. 3, 1996, the city logged a record low of -26 degrees, Cronce said.
What is Milwaukee’s lowest recorded wind chill?
According to unofficial records dating back to 1929, Milwaukee’s lowest recorded wind chill was -58 degrees in Jan. 22, 1936.
More recently, the city hit -50 degrees wind chill in Feb. 3, 1996.
What is the coldest day in Wisconsin’s history?
The lowest recorded temperature in Wisconsin was -55 degrees in Couderay on Feb. 4, 1996.
Couderay is in Sawyer County, near the northwestern tip of the state.
Steve Martinez contributed to this report.
