Will Pipes Freeze in La Crosse County, WI? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in La Crosse County
In a normal year La Crosse County, WI gets 72 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 78% 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 | 141 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 39 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 nights of risk to 39 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 10/17, last around 04/23. For 20°F: 11/16 to 03/25.
How cold La Crosse County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 39 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 13°F | 25°F | 38°F | 50°F | 60°F | 64°F | 62°F | 54°F | 41°F | 29°F | 17°F |
La Crosse County next to its neighbours
Monroe County, WI, 40 km east, gets 87 nights below 20°F to La Crosse County's 72 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse County, WI | - | 141 nights | 72 nights | 10°F |
| Monroe County, WI | 40 km east | 165 nights | 87 nights | 7°F |
| Houston County, MN | 41 km southwest | 160 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Vernon County, WI | 41 km southeast | 164 nights | 89 nights | 7°F |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 48 km northwest | 172 nights | 96 nights | 5°F |
| Jackson County, WI | 53 km northeast | 176 nights | 98 nights | 5°F |
| Winona County, MN | 54 km west | 150 nights | 81 nights | 8°F |
La Crosse County within WI
La Crosse County ranks 63 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 751 ft, La Crosse County sits 245 ft below 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is La Crosse Municipal Airport, WI, 12 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.