Will Pipes Freeze in Dodge County, WI? 81 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Dodge County
In a normal year Dodge County, WI gets 81 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 83% 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 | 81 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 42 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 20 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 81 nights of risk to 42 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 05/01. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/31.
How cold Dodge County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 42 nights a year, and 20 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 12°F | 23°F | 34°F | 46°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 50°F | 38°F | 27°F | 16°F |
Dodge County next to its neighbours
Green Lake County, WI, 45 km northwest, gets 85 nights below 20°F to Dodge County's 81 nights. Washington County, WI, 38 km east, gets 79 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge County, WI | - | 154 nights | 81 nights | 9°F |
| Washington County, WI | 38 km east | 157 nights | 79 nights | 10°F |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | 40 km northeast | 143 nights | 71 nights | 11°F |
| Green Lake County, WI | 45 km northwest | 160 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Jefferson County, WI | 47 km south | 144 nights | 73 nights | 11°F |
| Columbia County, WI | 51 km west | 154 nights | 79 nights | 9°F |
| Waukesha County, WI | 56 km southeast | 146 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
Dodge County within WI
Dodge County ranks 46 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 919 ft, Dodge County sits 76 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.
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 Horicon Wastewater Plant, WI, 6 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.