Will Pipes Freeze in Baraga County, MI? 115 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Baraga County
In a normal year Baraga County, MI gets 115 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 97% 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 | 195 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 115 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 67 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 34 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 115 nights of risk to 67 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 09/22, last around 05/31. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/24.
How cold Baraga County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 67 nights a year, and 34 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 6°F | 14°F | 27°F | 40°F | 50°F | 54°F | 53°F | 46°F | 35°F | 24°F | 13°F |
Baraga County next to its neighbours
Iron County, MI, 60 km south, gets 120 nights below 20°F to Baraga County's 115 nights. Houghton County, MI, 40 km northwest, gets 96 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baraga County, MI | - | 195 nights | 115 nights | 6°F |
| Houghton County, MI | 40 km northwest | 186 nights | 96 nights | 9°F |
| Marquette County, MI | 59 km east | 175 nights | 91 nights | 10°F |
| Iron County, MI | 60 km south | 205 nights | 120 nights | 0°F |
| Ontonagon County, MI | 71 km west | 177 nights | 95 nights | 9°F |
| Keweenaw County, MI | 75 km north | 169 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Dickinson County, MI | 85 km southeast | 186 nights | 103 nights | 5°F |
Baraga County within MI
Baraga County ranks 3 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 1,462 ft, Baraga County sits 654 ft above 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 Herman, MI, 4 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.