Will Pipes Freeze in Ashland County, WI? 99 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Ashland County
In a normal year Ashland County, WI gets 99 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 91% 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 | 182 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 99 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 58 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 29 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 99 nights of risk to 58 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 05/20. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/10.
How cold Ashland County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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: 58 nights a year, and 29 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 7°F | 17°F | 29°F | 39°F | 49°F | 56°F | 55°F | 47°F | 35°F | 25°F | 13°F |
Ashland County next to its neighbours
Bayfield County, WI, 39 km west, gets 100 nights below 20°F to Ashland County's 99 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland County, WI | - | 182 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Bayfield County, WI | 39 km west | 183 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Iron County, WI | 40 km southeast | 192 nights | 113 nights | 3°F |
| Gogebic County, MI | 68 km east | 199 nights | 116 nights | 3°F |
| Sawyer County, WI | 84 km southwest | 188 nights | 109 nights | 2°F |
| Douglas County, WI | 93 km west | 189 nights | 111 nights | 2°F |
| Price County, WI | 99 km south | 190 nights | 114 nights | 1°F |
Ashland County within WI
Ashland County ranks 20 of 72 WI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Vilas County, WI at 116 nights, with a 4°F average winter low. The fewest is Racine County, WI: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 644 ft, Ashland County sits 351 ft below the state's median county elevation of 995 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 Ashland (3 mi S), WI, 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.