Will Pipes Freeze in Aitkin County, MN? 111 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Aitkin County
In a normal year Aitkin County, MN gets 111 nights at or below 20°F, the point where bare pipes in a garage, attic or outside wall start to freeze. That is more than 96% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 183 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 111 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 73 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 46 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 111 nights of risk to 73 nights. A 12 ft heat-tape kit runs $17 to $37; an average burst-pipe repair is about $500.
Month by month
Nights at or below 20°F in a normal year.
First 32°F night is usually around 09/28, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/09.
How cold Aitkin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 3°F; the coldest month, January, averages -1°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, November, December: 73 nights a year, and 46 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1°F | 2°F | 15°F | 30°F | 42°F | 52°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 35°F | 22°F | 9°F |
Aitkin County next to its neighbours
Crow Wing County, MN, 51 km west, gets 107 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aitkin County, MN | - | 183 nights | 111 nights | -1°F |
| Crow Wing County, MN | 51 km west | 176 nights | 107 nights | 0°F |
| Carlton County, MN | 57 km east | 187 nights | 108 nights | 1°F |
| Kanabec County, MN | 73 km south | 179 nights | 107 nights | 1°F |
| Pine County, MN | 75 km southeast | 181 nights | 107 nights | 1°F |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 77 km south | 178 nights | 107 nights | 0°F |
| Cass County, MN | 80 km northwest | 179 nights | 111 nights | 0°F |
Aitkin County within MN
Aitkin County ranks 20 of 87 MN counties for nights below 20°F. The most is St. Louis County, MN at 130 nights, with a 0°F average winter low. The fewest is Winona County, MN: 81 nights, winter lows near 12°F. At 1,236 ft, Aitkin County sits 121 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,114 ft.
What to do here
- Treat it as a building fix, not a night-of routine: insulate, heat tape, seal crawlspace vents.
- An automatic leak shutoff pays for itself if one burst is avoided.
- Know where the main shutoff is before the first hard freeze.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Aitkin (2 mi E), MN, 21 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.