Rochester, Minnesota weather history recalls brutal 2018–2019 winter

In response to recent high temperatures in September, a retrospective look at Rochester, Minnesota, highlights the extreme weather experienced during the 2018–2019 winter season. Driven by a Polar Vortex, that winter saw Rochester record temperatures below zero on 28 different days.

During late January of that season, severe cold led to school closures, business shutdowns, and disruptions in mail delivery. Extreme wind chills reached between -30 and -60 degrees. On one specific morning, the wind chill in Rochester was recorded at 61 below zero, following a period where high temperatures struggled to stay above -19 degrees. The season also included more than five feet of snow accumulation.