Will Pipes Freeze in Clark County, WI? 100 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Clark County
In a normal year Clark County, WI gets 100 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 92% 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 | 100 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 60 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 34 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 100 nights of risk to 60 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 05/10. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/06.
How cold Clark County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 4°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: 60 nights a year, and 34 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4°F | 6°F | 19°F | 32°F | 44°F | 54°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 35°F | 24°F | 12°F |
Clark County next to its neighbours
Taylor County, WI, 53 km north, gets 103 nights below 20°F to Clark County's 100 nights. Jackson County, WI, 48 km south, gets 98 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, WI | - | 175 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Jackson County, WI | 48 km south | 176 nights | 98 nights | 5°F |
| Taylor County, WI | 53 km north | 177 nights | 103 nights | 3°F |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 53 km west | 163 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Wood County, WI | 55 km southeast | 165 nights | 91 nights | 6°F |
| Chippewa County, WI | 64 km northwest | 160 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Marathon County, WI | 69 km east | 166 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
Clark County within WI
Clark County ranks 18 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 1,154 ft, Clark County sits 158 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 Neillsville (3 mi ESE), WI, 23 km away (fair 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.