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La Crosse’s high Tuesday hit 43 degrees — at 2:03 a.m.
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UW-La Crosse student Laura Hanson is bundled up as she walks back to her dormitory Tuesday when temperature plummeted throughout the day.
PETER THOMSON photo
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The temperatures then plummeted to only minus 5 degrees by 10 p.m.
There have been 42 days on record since 1872 when the temperature plunged 40 degrees in a day, said Jeff Boyne, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
Temperatures were expected to keep dropping through the night. The low forecast for this morning was minus 13 degrees.
That wild a swing is extremely rare, Boyne said.
Only twice has there been a drop of 50 degrees or more in a 24-hour period. On Feb. 17, 1874, the high was 42 and the low minus 11. On March 27, 1921, the high was 67 and the low 16.
The arctic blast came with snow and wind, prompting the weather service to issue a winter storm warning.
Less than 1 inch of snow fell on La Crosse by late Tuesday, and La Crosse County dispatcher Mike Thompson reported only minor vehicle crashes in the county.
“We really haven’t had anything that’s weather-related,” he said.
While the storm may have spared La Crosse County, wind-whipped snow created hazardous driving conditions in southeastern Minnesota for most of Tuesday.
The westbound lanes of Interstate 90 between St. Charles and Dover, Minn., and Stewartville to Dexter, Minn., were closed much of Tuesday for separate crashes involving multiple vehicles.
By nightfall, the conditions had forced the Minnesota State Patrol to close Hwy. 63 in southeast Minnesota from Hwy. 16 in Spring Valley to the Iowa border after several vehicles went off the road.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation advised against traveling in southeast Minnesota after southbound Interstate 35 from Owatonna to Albert Lea, Minn., shut down about 12:30 p.m. due to blizzard conditions, zero visibility and numerous crashes.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty directed the Minnesota National Guard to open its armory in Owatonna, Minn., for travelers stranded by the blizzard conditions. Pawlenty also directed the Guard to make other armories available for emergency shelter if needed.
Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center saw a minor spike Tuesday in patients brought in after slips or falls on ice, though that’s expected with the weather, said hospital spokesman Chris Stauffer. No increase was reported at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center, said hospital spokesman Rick Thiesse.
The rest of the week holds a chance of snow each day, but with warmer temperatures, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
Thursday will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 18, though wind chills still could be as low as minus 13. The low overnight will be about 10.
The high Friday should be near 27 and the low about 18, with a 20 percent chance of snow. The temperature will rise to near 31 on Saturday, but the possibility of snow is slight.
