Will Pipes Freeze in Big Stone County, MN? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Big Stone County
In a normal year Big Stone County, MN gets 102 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 93% 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 | 168 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 102 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 63 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 37 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 102 nights of risk to 63 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 10/08, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/05.
How cold Big Stone County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 6°F; the coldest month, January, averages 3°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, November, December: 63 nights a year, and 37 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3°F | 7°F | 20°F | 33°F | 46°F | 57°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 36°F | 22°F | 9°F |
Big Stone County next to its neighbours
Stevens County, MN, 37 km northeast, gets 106 nights below 20°F to Big Stone County's 102 nights. Roberts County, SD, 48 km northwest, gets 100 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Stone County, MN | - | 168 nights | 102 nights | 3°F |
| Stevens County, MN | 37 km northeast | 172 nights | 106 nights | 1°F |
| Traverse County, MN | 39 km north | 167 nights | 102 nights | 2°F |
| Grant County, SD | 40 km southwest | 172 nights | 105 nights | 3°F |
| Roberts County, SD | 48 km northwest | 169 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Lac qui Parle County, MN | 50 km south | 168 nights | 100 nights | 3°F |
| Swift County, MN | 58 km east | 168 nights | 102 nights | 1°F |
Big Stone County within MN
Big Stone County ranks 41 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 1,097 ft, Big Stone 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Artichoke Lake (1 mi E), MN, 22 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.