Will Pipes Freeze in Forest County, WI? 109 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Forest County
In a normal year Forest County, WI gets 109 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 95% 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 | 190 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 109 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 65 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 35 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 109 nights of risk to 65 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 09/29, last around 05/19. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/15.
How cold Forest County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 4°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: 65 nights a year, and 35 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4°F | 6°F | 16°F | 28°F | 40°F | 50°F | 54°F | 53°F | 46°F | 35°F | 23°F | 11°F |
Forest County next to its neighbours
Florence County, WI, 36 km northeast, gets 112 nights below 20°F to Forest County's 109 nights. Langlade County, WI, 51 km southwest, gets 106 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest County, WI | - | 190 nights | 109 nights | 4°F |
| Florence County, WI | 36 km northeast | 194 nights | 112 nights | 3°F |
| Langlade County, WI | 51 km southwest | 183 nights | 106 nights | 4°F |
| Iron County, MI | 59 km north | 205 nights | 120 nights | 0°F |
| Oneida County, WI | 59 km west | 187 nights | 108 nights | 2°F |
| Marinette County, WI | 71 km southeast | 188 nights | 103 nights | 5°F |
| Vilas County, WI | 71 km northwest | 193 nights | 116 nights | 1°F |
Forest County within WI
Forest County ranks 7 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 1,545 ft, Forest County sits 549 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 Laona (6 mi SW), WI, 17 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.