RECENT STATE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS IN THE MIDWEST

State minimum temperature records were set or tied in Indiana (-37.8 d egrees C) and Kentucky (-38.3 degrees) in January 1994, and in Illinoi s (-37.2 degrees C), Iowa (-43.9 degrees C), Minnesota (-51.1 degrees C), and Wisconsin (-48.3 degrees C) in February 1996. The veracity of these temperatures was examined in the context of the large-scale syno ptic situation, station location and history, observer, local terrain, instrumentation, and other factors related to extreme temperatures. N ew state minimum temperature records for states listed above were foun d to be acceptable; however, a state minimum initially reported for Mi chigan (-46.7 degrees C) in January 1994 was found to be unreliable an d not accepted as a state record.