Will Pipes Freeze in Douglas County, WI? 111 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Douglas County
In a normal year Douglas County, WI gets 111 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 96% 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 | 189 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 111 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 72 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 43 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 111 nights of risk to 72 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 10/02, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/10.
How cold Douglas County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 6°F; the coldest month, January, averages 2°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: 72 nights a year, and 43 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 5°F | 17°F | 30°F | 41°F | 51°F | 57°F | 56°F | 47°F | 36°F | 23°F | 10°F |
Douglas County next to its neighbours
Bayfield County, WI, 58 km east, gets 100 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, WI | - | 189 nights | 111 nights | 2°F |
| Bayfield County, WI | 58 km east | 183 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Carlton County, MN | 62 km west | 187 nights | 108 nights | 1°F |
| Washburn County, WI | 64 km south | 173 nights | 100 nights | 2°F |
| Burnett County, WI | 76 km southwest | 173 nights | 101 nights | 2°F |
| Pine County, MN | 78 km southwest | 181 nights | 107 nights | 1°F |
| Sawyer County, WI | 88 km southeast | 188 nights | 109 nights | 2°F |
Douglas County within WI
Douglas County ranks 5 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 1,201 ft, Douglas County sits 205 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.
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 Solon Springs, WI, 13 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.