Will Pipes Freeze in Grand Traverse County, MI? 64 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Grand Traverse County
In a normal year Grand Traverse County, MI gets 64 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 73% 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 | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 64 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 26 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 64 nights of risk to 26 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 10/16, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 11/24 to 04/04.
How cold Grand Traverse County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, February, averages 16°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, December: 26 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 16°F | 23°F | 32°F | 43°F | 54°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 41°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Grand Traverse County next to its neighbours
Kalkaska County, MI, 37 km east, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Grand Traverse County's 64 nights. Benzie County, MI, 54 km west, gets 57 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Traverse County, MI | - | 151 nights | 64 nights | 17°F |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 37 km east | 181 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Wexford County, MI | 43 km south | 174 nights | 84 nights | 12°F |
| Antrim County, MI | 44 km northeast | 164 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Benzie County, MI | 54 km west | 141 nights | 57 nights | 18°F |
| Missaukee County, MI | 57 km southeast | 180 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Leelanau County, MI | 62 km northwest | 144 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
Grand Traverse County within MI
Grand Traverse County ranks 53 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 685 ft, Grand Traverse County sits 122 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 Traverse City Cherry Cptl Airport, MI, 3 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.