Will Pipes Freeze in Goodhue County, MN? 92 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Goodhue County
In a normal year Goodhue County, MN gets 92 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 October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 92 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 30 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 92 nights of risk to 55 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 09/30, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/06.
How cold Goodhue County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 4°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: 55 nights a year, and 30 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4°F | 7°F | 21°F | 34°F | 46°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 36°F | 24°F | 12°F |
Goodhue County next to its neighbours
Wabasha County, MN, 40 km east, gets 94 nights below 20°F to Goodhue County's 92 nights. Dakota County, MN, 40 km northwest, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodhue County, MN | - | 164 nights | 92 nights | 4°F |
| Dakota County, MN | 40 km northwest | 155 nights | 88 nights | 5°F |
| Wabasha County, MN | 40 km east | 168 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Pierce County, WI | 42 km northeast | 166 nights | 95 nights | 2°F |
| Dodge County, MN | 45 km south | 166 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Rice County, MN | 47 km west | 167 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Olmsted County, MN | 51 km southeast | 162 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
Goodhue County within MN
Goodhue County ranks 74 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 1,164 ft, Goodhue County sits 50 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 Zumbrota, MN, 13 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.