Will Pipes Freeze in Fillmore County, MN? 93 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fillmore County
In a normal year Fillmore County, MN 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 | 167 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 93 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 52 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 28 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 93 nights of risk to 52 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 09/28, last around 05/14. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/11.
How cold Fillmore County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 4°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: 52 nights a year, and 28 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4°F | 8°F | 21°F | 32°F | 44°F | 54°F | 58°F | 56°F | 47°F | 35°F | 23°F | 12°F |
Fillmore County next to its neighbours
Winona County, MN, 42 km northeast, gets 81 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fillmore County, MN | - | 167 nights | 93 nights | 4°F |
| Howard County, IA | 39 km southwest | 166 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
| Winona County, MN | 42 km northeast | 150 nights | 81 nights | 8°F |
| Olmsted County, MN | 44 km northwest | 162 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Winneshiek County, IA | 47 km southeast | 159 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Houston County, MN | 48 km east | 160 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Mower County, MN | 54 km west | 167 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
Fillmore County within MN
Fillmore County ranks 67 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 1,062 ft, Fillmore County sits 52 ft below 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 Preston, MN, 2 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.