Will Pipes Freeze in Clare County, MI? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Clare County
In a normal year Clare County, MI gets 85 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 85% 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 | 178 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 44 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 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 10/01, last around 05/20. For 20°F: 11/10 to 04/13.
How cold Clare County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, February, averages 11°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: 44 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 11°F | 18°F | 30°F | 41°F | 51°F | 55°F | 53°F | 46°F | 36°F | 27°F | 19°F |
Clare County next to its neighbours
Missaukee County, MI, 42 km northwest, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Clare County's 85 nights. Gladwin County, MI, 36 km east, gets 76 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | - | 178 nights | 85 nights | 11°F |
| Gladwin County, MI | 36 km east | 166 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Isabella County, MI | 38 km south | 150 nights | 65 nights | 16°F |
| Osceola County, MI | 39 km west | 175 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
| Missaukee County, MI | 42 km northwest | 180 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Roscommon County, MI | 43 km northeast | 171 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Midland County, MI | 53 km southeast | 147 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
Clare County within MI
Clare County ranks 21 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 1,200 ft, Clare County sits 392 ft above 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 Houghton Lake (2 mi NW), MI, 36 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.