Will Pipes Freeze in Antrim County, MI? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Antrim County
In a normal year Antrim 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 13 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 33 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 10/02, last around 05/23. For 20°F: 11/14 to 04/12.
How cold Antrim County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, February, averages 13°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, November, December: 33 nights a year, and 13 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 13°F | 20°F | 31°F | 42°F | 52°F | 56°F | 55°F | 48°F | 39°F | 30°F | 21°F |
Antrim County next to its neighbours
Kalkaska County, MI, 37 km south, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Antrim County's 73 nights. Grand Traverse County, MI, 44 km southwest, gets 64 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim County, MI | - | 164 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 37 km south | 181 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 44 km southwest | 151 nights | 64 nights | 17°F |
| Otsego County, MI | 47 km east | 173 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Crawford County, MI | 57 km southeast | 184 nights | 93 nights | 10°F |
| Emmet County, MI | 67 km north | 169 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Leelanau County, MI | 71 km west | 144 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
Antrim County within MI
Antrim County ranks 35 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 818 ft, Antrim County sits close to 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 E Jordan, MI, 17 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.