Will Pipes Freeze in Chisago County, MN? 103 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Chisago County
In a normal year Chisago County, MN gets 103 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 | 175 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 103 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 65 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 38 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 103 nights of risk to 65 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 09/25, last around 05/19. For 20°F: 10/29 to 04/17.
How cold Chisago County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°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, November, December: 65 nights a year, and 38 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 5°F | 18°F | 31°F | 44°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 48°F | 35°F | 23°F | 10°F |
Chisago County next to its neighbours
Polk County, WI, 36 km east, gets 96 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chisago County, MN | - | 175 nights | 103 nights | 1°F |
| Isanti County, MN | 31 km west | 171 nights | 103 nights | 4°F |
| Polk County, WI | 36 km east | 164 nights | 96 nights | 4°F |
| Anoka County, MN | 37 km southwest | 168 nights | 99 nights | 4°F |
| Washington County, MN | 52 km south | 158 nights | 94 nights | 6°F |
| Ramsey County, MN | 57 km south | 155 nights | 90 nights | 7°F |
| Burnett County, WI | 57 km northeast | 173 nights | 101 nights | 2°F |
Chisago County within MN
Chisago County ranks 36 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 889 ft, Chisago County sits 225 ft below 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Wild Rvr Sp, MN, 12 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.