The 1994 North American cold wave occurred over the midwestern and eastern regions of the United States and southern Canada in January 1994.

[not verified in body] Cold air outbreaks are characterized by strong upper-level troughs in the atmosphere, with ridges usually located up and downstream.

[2] On January 17, 1994, the 500 millibar (mb) height contours showed the low-pressure center was situated near the border of Ontario and Manitoba, just north of Minnesota, with the trough axis stretching down into the Upper Midwest.

The 500 mb height contours on January 18 showed the strong trough over the Great Lakes region extending southward that brought cold air down from the North Pole.

MERRA-2 reanalysis detailed the cold air funneling into the Upper Midwest from Canada on January 18, with strong winds out of the northwest.

The surface anticyclones on January 18 and 21 both exceeded 1,040 mbar (104 kPa) and moved to the southeast, bringing cold air to much of the eastern half of the United States.

By January 19, the upper levels showed a retreat of the low-pressure center, however, shortwave troughs were still located near the United States, and surface temperature effects with the strong anticyclone were felt for days to come.

Rapid melting and freezing near the end of January caused Toronto Pearson International Airport to close for the first time in 60 years.

[20] Governor Arne Carlson closed all public schools in Minnesota on January 18, with wind chills of −48 °F (−44 °C) and morning air temperatures of −26 °F (−32 °C).

Hundreds of drivers per hour complained to the AAA-Chicago Motor Club about dead automobile batteries, fuel injectors being too cold and other vehicle issues and United Airlines canceled almost half of its flights.

Directed by Jon Gunn and starring Hilary Swank, the film tells the true story of Louisville residents teaming up to shovel a path for Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson) so that he could drive his ill daughter, Michelle, to the hospital for a liver transplant.