Will Pipes Freeze in Gladwin County, MI? 76 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Gladwin County
In a normal year Gladwin County, MI gets 76 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 80% 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 | 166 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 76 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 36 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 76 nights of risk to 36 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 10/04, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 11/14 to 04/06.
How cold Gladwin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, February, averages 12°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, December: 36 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 12°F | 20°F | 31°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 37°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Gladwin County next to its neighbours
Clare County, MI, 36 km west, gets 85 nights below 20°F to Gladwin County's 76 nights. Midland County, MI, 38 km south, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin County, MI | - | 166 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Clare County, MI | 36 km west | 178 nights | 85 nights | 11°F |
| Midland County, MI | 38 km south | 147 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
| Roscommon County, MI | 43 km northwest | 171 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 44 km northeast | 183 nights | 88 nights | 10°F |
| Bay County, MI | 46 km southeast | 151 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Arenac County, MI | 52 km east | 165 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
Gladwin County within MI
Gladwin County ranks 31 of 83 MI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Iron County, MI at 120 nights, with a 3°F average winter low. The fewest is Allegan County, MI: 38 nights, winter lows near 24°F. At 742 ft, Gladwin County sits 65 ft below the state's median county elevation of 808 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 Gladwin, MI, 8 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.