South Dakota is experiencing severe cold, with wind chills plunging to minus 30 degrees or colder.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme cold warning in effect for much of the state on the morning of Jan. 23, saying “dangerous wind chills” could cause frostbite to exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
It can’t get any colder than this, right? Think again. South Dakota has experienced colder days – much colder.
It was the coldest day on record in South Dakota history.
More: South Dakota trees exploding from cold? this is what really happened
What was the coldest day in South Dakota history?
South Dakota’s record low temperature was -58 degrees, recorded on February 17, 1936 at McIntosh near the North Dakota border.
The all-time low temperature in Sioux Falls was -42 degrees, recorded on February 9, 1899. The temperature in Sioux Falls on the morning of January 23rd was about -18 degrees.
According to the National Weather Service, South Dakota’s coldest winter occurred in 1935-36, when the statewide average temperature was 8.6 degrees.
What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States?
On January 23, 1971, the lowest temperature ever recorded in the United States was minus 80 degrees in Prospect Creek, Alaska.
This article originally appeared in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader: What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in South Dakota?
