Will Pipes Freeze in Green Lake County, WI? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Green Lake County
In a normal year Green Lake County, WI gets 85 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 85% 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 | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 46 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 24 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 nights of risk to 46 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 10/02, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/05.
How cold Green Lake County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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, November, December: 46 nights a year, and 24 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 11°F | 22°F | 33°F | 45°F | 56°F | 59°F | 57°F | 49°F | 37°F | 26°F | 16°F |
Green Lake County next to its neighbours
Waushara County, WI, 43 km northwest, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Green Lake County's 85 nights. Marquette County, WI, 36 km west, gets 83 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Lake County, WI | - | 160 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Marquette County, WI | 36 km west | 159 nights | 83 nights | 8°F |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | 38 km east | 143 nights | 71 nights | 11°F |
| Winnebago County, WI | 42 km northeast | 146 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Waushara County, WI | 43 km northwest | 161 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Dodge County, WI | 45 km southeast | 154 nights | 81 nights | 9°F |
| Columbia County, WI | 45 km southwest | 154 nights | 79 nights | 9°F |
Green Lake County within WI
Green Lake County ranks 42 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 947 ft, Green Lake County sits close to 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.
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 Markesan, WI, 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.