Will Pipes Freeze in Carlton County, MN? 108 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Carlton County
In a normal year Carlton 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 | 187 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 09/23, last around 05/26. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/19.
How cold Carlton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 4°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 | 4°F | 16°F | 28°F | 39°F | 48°F | 54°F | 53°F | 46°F | 34°F | 21°F | 8°F |
Carlton County next to its neighbours
Aitkin County, MN, 57 km west, gets 111 nights below 20°F to Carlton County's 108 nights. Pine County, MN, 56 km south, gets 107 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton County, MN | - | 187 nights | 108 nights | 1°F |
| Pine County, MN | 56 km south | 181 nights | 107 nights | 1°F |
| Aitkin County, MN | 57 km west | 183 nights | 111 nights | -1°F |
| Douglas County, WI | 62 km east | 189 nights | 111 nights | 2°F |
| Burnett County, WI | 85 km south | 173 nights | 101 nights | 2°F |
| Kanabec County, MN | 87 km southwest | 179 nights | 107 nights | 1°F |
| Washburn County, WI | 104 km southeast | 173 nights | 100 nights | 2°F |
Carlton County within MN
Carlton County ranks 24 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 1,280 ft, Carlton County sits 165 ft above 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.
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 Cloquet, MN, 16 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.