Will Pipes Freeze in Fond du Lac County, WI? 71 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fond du Lac County
In a normal year Fond du Lac County, WI gets 71 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 77% 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 | 143 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 71 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 37 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 71 nights of risk to 37 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 Fond du Lac County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 37 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 24°F | 35°F | 47°F | 57°F | 61°F | 60°F | 52°F | 40°F | 29°F | 18°F |
Fond du Lac County next to its neighbours
Green Lake County, WI, 38 km west, gets 85 nights below 20°F to Fond du Lac County's 71 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fond du Lac County, WI | - | 143 nights | 71 nights | 11°F |
| Green Lake County, WI | 38 km west | 160 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Winnebago County, WI | 39 km north | 146 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Dodge County, WI | 40 km southwest | 154 nights | 81 nights | 9°F |
| Calumet County, WI | 42 km northeast | 156 nights | 81 nights | 10°F |
| Washington County, WI | 46 km southeast | 157 nights | 79 nights | 10°F |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 59 km southeast | 153 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
Fond du Lac County within WI
Fond du Lac County ranks 65 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 827 ft, Fond du Lac County sits 169 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.
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 Fond Du Lac County Airport, WI, 2 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.