In mid-January 1888, a severe cold wave passed through the Pacific Northwest. It led to a blizzard for the northern Plains and upper Mississippi valley where many children were trapped in schoolhouses where they froze to death. This tragedy became known as the Schoolhouse Blizzard, Schoolchildren's Blizzard, or The Children's Blizzard.National Weather Service Office, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=suxtrivia01 Souixland Weather Trivia and History: January.