Will Pipes Freeze in Bay County, MI? 65 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bay County
In a normal year Bay County, MI gets 65 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 74% 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 | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 65 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 30 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 65 nights of risk to 30 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 10/14, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/30.
How cold Bay County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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, November, December: 30 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 16°F | 24°F | 34°F | 46°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 50°F | 40°F | 30°F | 22°F |
Bay County next to its neighbours
Arenac County, MI, 42 km northeast, gets 72 nights below 20°F to Bay County's 65 nights. Midland County, MI, 33 km west, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay County, MI | - | 151 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Midland County, MI | 33 km west | 147 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
| Saginaw County, MI | 42 km south | 143 nights | 61 nights | 16°F |
| Arenac County, MI | 42 km northeast | 165 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Gladwin County, MI | 46 km northwest | 166 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Tuscola County, MI | 50 km southeast | 153 nights | 64 nights | 14°F |
| Gratiot County, MI | 68 km southwest | 156 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
Bay County within MI
Bay County ranks 47 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 603 ft, Bay County sits 205 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.
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 Auburn (2 mi NE), MI, 9 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.