Will Pipes Freeze in Florence County, WI? 112 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Florence County
In a normal year Florence County, WI gets 112 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 | 194 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 112 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 68 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 38 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 112 nights of risk to 68 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 09/25, last around 05/24. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/18.
How cold Florence County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 6°F; the coldest month, January, averages 3°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 68 nights a year, and 38 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3°F | 4°F | 14°F | 27°F | 39°F | 49°F | 53°F | 52°F | 44°F | 33°F | 22°F | 11°F |
Florence County next to its neighbours
Iron County, MI, 35 km north, gets 120 nights below 20°F to Florence County's 112 nights. Forest County, WI, 36 km southwest, gets 109 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence County, WI | - | 194 nights | 112 nights | 3°F |
| Iron County, MI | 35 km north | 205 nights | 120 nights | 0°F |
| Forest County, WI | 36 km southwest | 190 nights | 109 nights | 4°F |
| Dickinson County, MI | 45 km east | 186 nights | 103 nights | 5°F |
| Marinette County, WI | 67 km southeast | 188 nights | 103 nights | 5°F |
| Menominee County, MI | 80 km southeast | 186 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Langlade County, WI | 86 km southwest | 183 nights | 106 nights | 4°F |
Florence County within WI
Florence County ranks 4 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 1,443 ft, Florence County sits 448 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.
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 Florence, 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.