Extreme Cold Warning Issued in 12 US States – Forecast Through Thursday

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued extreme cold warnings across 12 U.S. states, cautioning residents about life-threatening temperatures expected through Thursday.

According to the NWS, the affected states include Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Montana, and South Dakota.

An Extreme Cold Warning means the weather is dangerously cold. According to the state weather agency, this warning will impact western and central North Dakota, including the James River Valley. In Kansas, extreme cold is expected across central, east-central, north-central, northeast, south-central, and southeast regions.

The warning extends to the Panhandle of Oklahoma and the Panhandle of Texas, where wind chills could drop significantly below zero. Similar conditions are expected across northern Texas and much of Oklahoma, including central, east-central, northern, northwest, southeast, southern, southwest, and western parts of the state.

In Nebraska, extreme cold will grip central, north-central, panhandle, southwest, and west-central areas, while a portion of northeast Montana is also under advisory. The warning includes portions of southwest and west-central Iowa, including east-central, northeast, and southeast Nebraska.

Additional alerts cover central, north-central, northeast, northwest, and west-central Iowa. Meanwhile, northwestern, south-central, and southwestern South Dakota are also bracing for dangerously low temperatures. Here are the counties and cities affected by the Extreme Cold Warning across these states.

Iowa

In Iowa, the NWS alert covers the counties of Pocahontas, Humboldt, Wright, Franklin, Butler, Bremer, Sac, Calhoun, Webster, Hamilton, Hardin, Grundy, Black Hawk, Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Boone, Story, Marshall, Tama, Audubon, Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Jasper, and Poweshiek.

The warning also extends to Cass, Adair, Madison, Adams, Union, Emmet, Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth, Palo Alto, Hancock, Cerro Gordo, Plymouth, Cherokee, Buena Vista, Woodbury, Ida, and Winneshiek counties.

Additionally, the advisory includes Allamakee, Fayette, Clayton, Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, and Linn counties.

The cities affected are Des Moines, Ames, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Dubuque, Iowa City, Sioux City, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Decorah, Marshalltown, Carroll, Spencer, Atlantic, Anamosa, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Independence, Manchester, Maquoketa, Marengo, Tipton, and Vinton.

Minnesota

The weather service warning has been issued for the counties of Morrison, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, Benton, Sherburne, Isanti, Chisago, Wright, Hennepin, Anoka, Ramsey, Washington, Carver, Scott, Dakota, Le Sueur, Rice, Goodhue, Waseca, and Steele.

More counties included Freeborn, Polk, Barron, Rusk, St. Croix, Pierce, Dunn, Pepin, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer, Price, Nobles, and Jackson.

Cities under the warning include Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud, Brainerd, Hibbing, Worthington, Mankato, Winona, Albert Lea, and Red Wing.

Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, the official NWS notice is in effect in the counties of Lincoln, Langlade, Marathon, Wood, Portage, Waushara, Buffalo, Trempealeau, Jackson, Clark, Taylor, Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer, Price, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Polk, St. Croix, and Pierce.

Cities affected include Eau Claire, Wausau, La Crosse, Superior, Wisconsin Rapids, Antigo, Rhinelander, Ashland, and Medford.

North Dakota

The weather bureau warning impacts the counties of Divide, Burke, Renville, Bottineau, Rolette, Williams, Mountrail, Ward, McHenry, Pierce, McKenzie, Dunn, Mercer, Oliver, McLean, Sheridan, Wells, and Foster.

Additionally, the warning extends to Golden Valley, Billings, Stark, Morton, Burleigh, Kidder, Stutsman, Slope, Hettinger, Grant, Bowman, Adams, Sioux, Emmons, Logan, La Moure, McIntosh, and Dickey counties.

Major cities affected include Bismarck, Minot, Grand Forks, Fargo, Jamestown, Dickinson, Williston, Devils Lake, and Rugby.

Kansas

In this state, the NWS alerts residents in the counties of Republic, Washington, Marshall, Nemaha, Brown, Cloud, Clay, Riley, Pottawatomie, Jackson, Jefferson, Ottawa, and Dickinson.

Additional counties under the warning include Geary, Morris, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Douglas, Lyon, Osage, Franklin, Coffey, and Anderson, along with Russell, Lincoln, Barton, Ellsworth, Saline, Rice, McPherson, Marion, and Chase.

The extreme cold also extends to Reno, Harvey, Butler, Greenwood, Woodson, Allen, Kingman, Sedgwick, Harper, Sumner, Cowley, Elk, Wilson, Neosho, Chautauqua, Montgomery, and Labette.

Meanwhile, the affected cities include Topeka, Manhattan, Salina, Hutchinson, Emporia, Wichita, Dodge City, Great Bend, and Garden City.

Colorado

The NWS warning covers the counties of Kiowa, Bent, Prowers, Baca, Sedgwick, and Phillips, including the cities of Las Animas, Eads, Springfield, Walsh, Sheridan Lake, Lamar, Julesburg, and Holyoke.

Oklahoma

The state weather warning is affecting several counties, including Harper, Woods, Alfalfa, Grant, Kay, Ellis, Woodward, Major, Garfield, Noble, Roger Mills, Dewey, Custer, Blaine, Kingfisher, Logan, Payne, Beckham, Washita, Caddo, Canadian, Lincoln, Grady, McClain, Cleveland, Pottawatomie, Seminole, and Hughes.

Additionally, the warning extends to Harmon, Greer, Kiowa, Jackson, Tillman, Comanche, Stephens, Garvin, Murray, Pontotoc, Coal, Cotton, Jefferson, Carter, Johnston, Atoka, Love, Marshall, and Bryan.

Oklahoma City is affected, along with the cities of Norman, Tulsa, Enid, Stillwater, Lawton, Ardmore, McAlester, and Woodward.

Texas

The counties of Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Fannin, Lamar, Young, Jack, Wise, Denton, Collin, Hunt, Delta, Hopkins, Stephens, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Rockwall, Kaufman, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Somervell, Johnson, Ellis, Comanche, Mills, Hamilton, Bosque, Hill, and Navarro are affected by the official NWS notice.

The advisory also includes Lampasas, Coryell, Bell, McLennan, Falls, Limestone, Fisher, Nolan, Sterling, Coke, Runnels, Irion, Tom Green, Concho, Crockett, Schleicher, and Sutton counties.

Further counties under the warning are Haskell, Throckmorton, Jones, Shackelford, Taylor, Callahan, Coleman, Brown, McCulloch, San Saba, Menard, Kimble, and Mason.

Meanwhile, major cities under the warning include Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Angelo, Abilene, Wichita Falls, Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, and Brownwood.

Nebraska

The state weather alert affects the counties of Dawes, Box Butte, Northern Sioux, Southern Sioux, Scotts Bluff, Banner, Morrill, Kimball, Cheyenne, Monona, Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Mills, Montgomery, Knox, Cedar, and Thurston.

Additionally, the warning covers Antelope, Pierce, Wayne, Boone, Madison, Stanton, Cuming, Burt, Platte, Colfax, Dodge, Washington, Butler, Saunders, Douglas, Sarpy, Seward, Lancaster, and Saline counties.

Major cities impacted include Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, North Platte, Kearney, Scottsbluff, Norfolk, Chadron, Alliance, Creighton, St. Edward, Missouri Valley, Walthill, and Onawa.

Additional cities under the warning include Albion, Oakland, Tekamah, Norfolk, Crete, La Vista, Milford, Laurel, Elgin, Verdigre, Crofton, Logan, Randolph, Blair, Coleridge, Red Oak, Pender, Osmond, Yutan, Council Bluffs, Wausa, Macy, Niobrara, West Point, Bloomfield, Bellevue, and Dunlap.

Arkansas

Under this state, the warning extends to Benton, Carroll, Washington, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian counties. Major cities affected are Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, Springdale, Fort Smith, and Van Buren.

Montana

The affected counties are Central and Southeast Phillips, Central and Southern Valley, Daniels, Sheridan, Western Roosevelt, Petroleum, Garfield, McCone, Richland, Dawson, Prairie, Wibaux, Northern Phillips, Southwest Phillips, Northern Valley, Eastern Roosevelt, Custer, Fallon, and Carter.

Cities affected include Glasgow, Glendive, Miles City, Baker, Sidney, Ekalaka, Malta, Jordan, Culbertson, Winnett, Frazer, Plentywood, and Medicine Lake.

South Dakota

The NWS-issued alert in this area affects multiple counties, including Stanley, Sully, Hughes, Hyde, Hand, Jones, Lyman, Buffalo, Gregory, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Yankton, Clay, Union, Ziebach, Perkins, Harding, Butte, Mellette, Todd and Tripp.

Major cities impacted by the dangerously low temperatures include Pierre, Rapid City, Aberdeen, Watertown, Mitchell, Spearfish, Winner, and Belle Fourche.

Previously, the NWS issued winter storm warnings for 11 states, which remained through February 17. With extreme cold warnings impacting 12 states, residents are urged to stay indoors and take precautions to prevent frostbite and hypothermia.

Those who must go outside should wear multiple layers, including a hat, face mask, and insulated gloves. Exposure should be limited, as skin can freeze within minutes. Staying informed and following safety guidelines is crucial to preventing cold-related emergencies.