Will Pipes Freeze in Buffalo County, WI? 78 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Buffalo County
In a normal year Buffalo County, WI gets 78 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 81% 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 | 147 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 78 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 44 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 22 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 78 nights of risk to 44 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 04/28. For 20°F: 11/12 to 03/31.
How cold Buffalo County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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: 44 nights a year, and 22 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 11°F | 24°F | 36°F | 48°F | 58°F | 62°F | 60°F | 52°F | 40°F | 27°F | 15°F |
Buffalo County next to its neighbours
Pepin County, WI, 28 km north, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Buffalo County's 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, WI | - | 147 nights | 78 nights | 8°F |
| Pepin County, WI | 28 km north | 159 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 33 km east | 172 nights | 96 nights | 5°F |
| Wabasha County, MN | 39 km west | 168 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Winona County, MN | 45 km south | 150 nights | 81 nights | 8°F |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 53 km northeast | 163 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Dunn County, WI | 63 km north | 164 nights | 91 nights | 4°F |
Buffalo County within WI
Buffalo County ranks 53 of 72 WI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Vilas County, WI at 116 nights, with a 4°F average winter low. The fewest is Racine County, WI: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 1,229 ft, Buffalo County sits 233 ft above the state's median county elevation of 995 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 Alma Dam 4, WI, 14 km away (fair 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.