Will Pipes Freeze in Charlevoix County, MI? 67 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Charlevoix County
In a normal year Charlevoix County, MI gets 67 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 75% 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 | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 67 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 67 nights of risk to 28 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 10/19, last around 05/11. For 20°F: 11/26 to 04/04.
How cold Charlevoix County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, February, averages 14°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: 28 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 14°F | 21°F | 31°F | 42°F | 52°F | 58°F | 59°F | 52°F | 42°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Charlevoix County next to its neighbours
Emmet County, MI, 43 km east, gets 81 nights below 20°F to Charlevoix County's 67 nights. Leelanau County, MI, 66 km southwest, gets 61 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlevoix County, MI | - | 151 nights | 67 nights | 15°F |
| Emmet County, MI | 43 km east | 169 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Mackinac County, MI | 64 km north | 184 nights | 95 nights | 9°F |
| Leelanau County, MI | 66 km southwest | 144 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Schoolcraft County, MI | 68 km northwest | 170 nights | 86 nights | 10°F |
| Antrim County, MI | 74 km southeast | 164 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Cheboygan County, MI | 83 km east | 170 nights | 82 nights | 11°F |
Charlevoix County within MI
Charlevoix County ranks 43 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 686 ft, Charlevoix County sits 122 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.
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 St James Beaver (4 mi SSW), MI, 8 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.