Will Pipes Freeze in Alpena County, MI? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Alpena County
In a normal year Alpena County, MI gets 73 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 79% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 156 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 35 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 12 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 35 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 10/17, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/22 to 04/02.
How cold Alpena County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, February, averages 12°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 35 nights a year, and 12 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 12°F | 20°F | 31°F | 42°F | 52°F | 58°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 29°F | 20°F |
Alpena County next to its neighbours
Presque Isle County, MI, 40 km north, gets 80 nights below 20°F to Alpena County's 73 nights. Alcona County, MI, 28 km south, gets 67 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpena County, MI | - | 156 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Alcona County, MI | 28 km south | 151 nights | 67 nights | 13°F |
| Presque Isle County, MI | 40 km north | 164 nights | 80 nights | 12°F |
| Iosco County, MI | 57 km south | 159 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Montmorency County, MI | 57 km west | 192 nights | 94 nights | 10°F |
| Oscoda County, MI | 60 km west | 177 nights | 83 nights | 11°F |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 84 km southwest | 183 nights | 88 nights | 10°F |
Alpena County within MI
Alpena County ranks 33 of 83 MI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Iron County, MI at 120 nights, with a 3°F average winter low. The fewest is Allegan County, MI: 38 nights, winter lows near 24°F. At 635 ft, Alpena County sits 173 ft below the state's median county elevation of 808 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Alpena Wastewater Plant, MI, 18 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.