Will Pipes Freeze in Crow Wing County, MN? 107 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Crow Wing County
In a normal year Crow Wing County, MN gets 107 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 94% 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 | 176 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 107 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 69 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 41 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 107 nights of risk to 69 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 09/27, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/11.
How cold Crow Wing County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 4°F; the coldest month, January, averages 0°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, April, November, December: 69 nights a year, and 41 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0°F | 3°F | 17°F | 30°F | 43°F | 53°F | 58°F | 56°F | 47°F | 35°F | 22°F | 8°F |
Crow Wing County next to its neighbours
Aitkin County, MN, 51 km east, gets 111 nights below 20°F to Crow Wing County's 107 nights. Morrison County, MN, 55 km south, gets 102 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crow Wing County, MN | - | 176 nights | 107 nights | 0°F |
| Aitkin County, MN | 51 km east | 183 nights | 111 nights | -1°F |
| Morrison County, MN | 55 km south | 168 nights | 102 nights | 3°F |
| Cass County, MN | 55 km north | 179 nights | 111 nights | 0°F |
| Wadena County, MN | 71 km west | 184 nights | 115 nights | -2°F |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 71 km southeast | 178 nights | 107 nights | 0°F |
| Todd County, MN | 79 km southwest | 178 nights | 108 nights | -1°F |
Crow Wing County within MN
Crow Wing County ranks 28 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 1,222 ft, Crow Wing County sits 108 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.
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 Brainerd Crow Wing County Airport, MN, 11 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.