Will Pipes Freeze in Cottonwood County, MN? 95 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cottonwood County
In a normal year Cottonwood County, MN gets 95 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 90% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 95 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 56 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 30 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 95 nights of risk to 56 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 04/30. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/03.
How cold Cottonwood County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 7°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: 56 nights a year, and 30 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7°F | 11°F | 23°F | 35°F | 48°F | 59°F | 63°F | 60°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 13°F |
Cottonwood County next to its neighbours
Jackson County, MN, 38 km south, gets 99 nights below 20°F to Cottonwood County's 95 nights. Brown County, MN, 44 km northeast, gets 93 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood County, MN | - | 164 nights | 95 nights | 7°F |
| Jackson County, MN | 38 km south | 168 nights | 99 nights | 5°F |
| Redwood County, MN | 44 km north | 163 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Brown County, MN | 44 km northeast | 163 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Watonwan County, MN | 46 km east | 160 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Murray County, MN | 46 km west | 168 nights | 97 nights | 4°F |
| Nobles County, MN | 59 km southwest | 168 nights | 97 nights | 5°F |
Cottonwood County within MN
Cottonwood County ranks 58 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 1,464 ft, Cottonwood County sits 349 ft above 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Windom, MN, 16 km away (close 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.