Will Pipes Freeze in Eau Claire County, WI? 93 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Eau Claire County
In a normal year Eau Claire County, WI gets 93 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 89% 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 | 163 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 93 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 30 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 93 nights of risk to 55 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 10/01, last around 05/07. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/06.
How cold Eau Claire County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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: 55 nights a year, and 30 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 8°F | 21°F | 34°F | 46°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 37°F | 25°F | 12°F |
Eau Claire County next to its neighbours
Trempealeau County, WI, 47 km south, gets 96 nights below 20°F to Eau Claire County's 93 nights. Chippewa County, WI, 38 km north, gets 89 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire County, WI | - | 163 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Chippewa County, WI | 38 km north | 160 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Pepin County, WI | 45 km west | 159 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 47 km south | 172 nights | 96 nights | 5°F |
| Buffalo County, WI | 53 km southwest | 147 nights | 78 nights | 8°F |
| Clark County, WI | 53 km east | 175 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Dunn County, WI | 54 km northwest | 164 nights | 91 nights | 4°F |
Eau Claire County within WI
Eau Claire County ranks 29 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 958 ft, Eau Claire County sits close to 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Augusta Ranger Station, WI, 13 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.