Will Pipes Freeze in Columbia County, WI? 79 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Columbia County
In a normal year Columbia County, WI gets 79 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 81% 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 | 154 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 79 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 79 nights of risk to 41 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 10/10, last around 04/28. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/30.
How cold Columbia County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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: 41 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 12°F | 23°F | 35°F | 47°F | 57°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 39°F | 27°F | 17°F |
Columbia County next to its neighbours
Marquette County, WI, 40 km north, gets 83 nights below 20°F to Columbia County's 79 nights. Sauk County, WI, 50 km west, gets 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, WI | - | 154 nights | 79 nights | 9°F |
| Marquette County, WI | 40 km north | 159 nights | 83 nights | 8°F |
| Green Lake County, WI | 45 km northeast | 160 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Dane County, WI | 46 km south | 155 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Sauk County, WI | 50 km west | 149 nights | 75 nights | 10°F |
| Dodge County, WI | 51 km east | 154 nights | 81 nights | 9°F |
| Adams County, WI | 66 km northwest | 169 nights | 94 nights | 6°F |
Columbia County within WI
Columbia County ranks 51 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 935 ft, Columbia County sits 61 ft below 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.
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 Portage Wastewater Plant, WI, 11 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.