Will Pipes Freeze in Benton County, MN? 108 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Benton County
In a normal year Benton County, MN gets 108 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 95% 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 | 177 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 108 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 69 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 41 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 108 nights of risk to 69 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 09/29, last around 05/10. For 20°F: 10/31 to 04/14.
How cold Benton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, January, averages 1°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: 69 nights a year, and 41 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 5°F | 18°F | 31°F | 43°F | 54°F | 59°F | 56°F | 47°F | 35°F | 22°F | 9°F |
Benton County next to its neighbours
Sherburne County, MN, 33 km southeast, gets 100 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, MN | - | 177 nights | 108 nights | 1°F |
| Sherburne County, MN | 33 km southeast | 170 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 38 km northeast | 178 nights | 107 nights | 0°F |
| Morrison County, MN | 41 km northwest | 168 nights | 102 nights | 3°F |
| Stearns County, MN | 50 km west | 166 nights | 100 nights | 2°F |
| Isanti County, MN | 57 km east | 171 nights | 103 nights | 4°F |
| Wright County, MN | 59 km south | 163 nights | 98 nights | 3°F |
Benton County within MN
Benton County ranks 26 of 87 MN counties for nights below 20°F. The most is St. Louis County, MN at 130 nights, with a 0°F average winter low. The fewest is Winona County, MN: 81 nights, winter lows near 12°F. At 1,110 ft, Benton County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 1,114 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 Rice, MN, 17 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.