Will Pipes Freeze in Iron County, WI? 113 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Iron County
In a normal year Iron County, WI gets 113 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 96% 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 | 192 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 113 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 67 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 35 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 113 nights of risk to 67 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 09/28, last around 05/19. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/17.
How cold Iron County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 6°F; the coldest month, January, averages 3°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, April, November, December: 67 nights a year, and 35 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3°F | 4°F | 14°F | 28°F | 41°F | 51°F | 56°F | 53°F | 46°F | 34°F | 23°F | 11°F |
Iron County next to its neighbours
Gogebic County, MI, 40 km northeast, gets 116 nights below 20°F to Iron County's 113 nights. Ashland County, WI, 40 km northwest, gets 99 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County, WI | - | 192 nights | 113 nights | 3°F |
| Ashland County, WI | 40 km northwest | 182 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Gogebic County, MI | 40 km northeast | 199 nights | 116 nights | 3°F |
| Vilas County, WI | 66 km southeast | 193 nights | 116 nights | 1°F |
| Price County, WI | 72 km south | 190 nights | 114 nights | 1°F |
| Bayfield County, WI | 78 km northwest | 183 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Sawyer County, WI | 85 km southwest | 188 nights | 109 nights | 2°F |
Iron County within WI
Iron County ranks 3 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 1,616 ft, Iron County sits 621 ft above 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Ironwood #2, MI, 18 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.