Will Pipes Freeze in Benzie County, MI? 57 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Benzie County
In a normal year Benzie County, MI gets 57 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 69% 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 | 141 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 57 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 57 nights of risk to 18 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 10/26, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/30 to 03/29.
How cold Benzie County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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, December: 18 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 18°F | 25°F | 34°F | 45°F | 54°F | 60°F | 60°F | 53°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Benzie County next to its neighbours
Grand Traverse County, MI, 54 km east, gets 64 nights below 20°F to Benzie County's 57 nights. Manistee County, MI, 44 km south, gets 55 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzie County, MI | - | 141 nights | 57 nights | 18°F |
| Manistee County, MI | 44 km south | 141 nights | 55 nights | 18°F |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 54 km east | 151 nights | 64 nights | 17°F |
| Leelanau County, MI | 58 km north | 144 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Wexford County, MI | 63 km southeast | 174 nights | 84 nights | 12°F |
| Mason County, MI | 77 km south | 149 nights | 58 nights | 17°F |
| Lake County, MI | 79 km southeast | 171 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
Benzie County within MI
Benzie County ranks 69 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 608 ft, Benzie County sits 200 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 Frankfort (2 mi NE), MI, 2 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.