On February 2, 1996, two Minnesota towns had their sights set on breaking the state’s all-time record low temperature.
Supporters in Tower and Embarrass kept track throughout the historically cold day hoping their respective cities would win the battle to the bottom of the thermostats.
A spot near Tower, in St. Louis County, claimed the frozen victory at -60 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
But the record-setting day wasn’t without its own chilly controversy.
A 1996 KARE 11 story followed the Tower and Embarrass contingents during the record-setting day.
Field General Roland Fowler tracked the Embarrass temperature through the night and morning hours, all the way to -53 degrees.
“Kind of frustrating because when you look at these temperatures we got so close to it but couldn’t get over it,” Fowler told KARE 11 back in 1996.
Just a few miles away, the Tower team hit a new record low of -60 degrees. But then their thermometer got moved to a lower spot that led to a -73 degree reading.
The National Weather Service explained to KARE 11 at the time that the -73 degree reading from Tower wasn’t representative because the thermometer had been moved around to achieve that arctic temperature.
But tower still got the bragging rights and a spot in the record books because they hit -60 degrees before moving the thermometer.
That also tied Minnesota with North Dakota for the all-time record low for a non-mountainous state, according to the DNR. The all-time U.S. low was -80 degrees, set on January 23, 1971, at Prospect Creek, Alaska.
Even 21 years later, the historically cold day still stands out for Minnesota residents. Visit the KARE 11 Facebook page to share your memories from the coldest day in Minnesota history.
Remember this day back in 1996? Our warning coordination meteorologist does! Record -60 in Tower. pic.twitter.com/qnQxbIL4qC
— NWS Duluth (@NWSduluth) February 2, 2017