Will Pipes Freeze in Kandiyohi County, MN? 103 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Kandiyohi County
In a normal year Kandiyohi County, MN gets 103 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 93% 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 | 170 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 103 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 66 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 38 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 103 nights of risk to 66 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 10/06, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/05.
How cold Kandiyohi County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, January, averages 2°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: 66 nights a year, and 38 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 5°F | 19°F | 32°F | 46°F | 57°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 36°F | 23°F | 9°F |
Kandiyohi County next to its neighbours
Pope County, MN, 60 km northwest, gets 106 nights below 20°F to Kandiyohi County's 103 nights. Meeker County, MN, 38 km east, gets 100 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kandiyohi County, MN | - | 170 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Meeker County, MN | 38 km east | 168 nights | 100 nights | 0°F |
| Chippewa County, MN | 46 km west | 170 nights | 103 nights | 3°F |
| Renville County, MN | 48 km south | 169 nights | 101 nights | 2°F |
| Stearns County, MN | 54 km northeast | 166 nights | 100 nights | 2°F |
| Swift County, MN | 55 km west | 168 nights | 102 nights | 1°F |
| Pope County, MN | 60 km northwest | 174 nights | 106 nights | 2°F |
Kandiyohi County within MN
Kandiyohi County ranks 37 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 1,183 ft, Kandiyohi County sits 69 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 Willmar (5 mi N), MN, 6 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.