Will Pipes Freeze in Freeborn County, MN? 90 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Freeborn County
In a normal year Freeborn County, MN gets 90 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 88% 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 | 160 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 90 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 53 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 29 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 90 nights of risk to 53 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 10/09, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/07 to 03/31.
How cold Freeborn County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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: 53 nights a year, and 29 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 10°F | 23°F | 35°F | 48°F | 59°F | 62°F | 60°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 13°F |
Freeborn County next to its neighbours
Worth County, IA, 34 km south, gets 92 nights below 20°F to Freeborn County's 90 nights. Winnebago County, IA, 46 km southwest, gets 89 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeborn County, MN | - | 160 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Worth County, IA | 34 km south | 164 nights | 92 nights | 4°F |
| Steele County, MN | 39 km north | 160 nights | 91 nights | 5°F |
| Waseca County, MN | 43 km northwest | 162 nights | 92 nights | 5°F |
| Winnebago County, IA | 46 km southwest | 159 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Mower County, MN | 48 km east | 167 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Faribault County, MN | 48 km west | 159 nights | 91 nights | 6°F |
Freeborn County within MN
Freeborn County ranks 80 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 1,261 ft, Freeborn County sits 147 ft above 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Albert Lea (3 mi SE), MN, 9 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.