Will Pipes Freeze in Lake County, MN? 124 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lake County
In a normal year Lake County, MN gets 124 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 98% 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 | 201 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 124 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 85 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 52 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 124 nights of risk to 85 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 09/15, last around 05/31. For 20°F: 10/22 to 04/25.
How cold Lake County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 1°F; the coldest month, January, averages -3°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 85 nights a year, and 52 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -3°F | -1°F | 12°F | 26°F | 39°F | 48°F | 53°F | 51°F | 44°F | 32°F | 20°F | 6°F |
Lake County next to its neighbours
St. Louis County, MN, 83 km west, gets 130 nights below 20°F to Lake County's 124 nights. Cook County, MN, 84 km east, gets 96 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, MN | - | 201 nights | 124 nights | -3°F |
| St. Louis County, MN | 83 km west | 203 nights | 130 nights | -4°F |
| Cook County, MN | 84 km east | 175 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Bayfield County, WI | 100 km south | 183 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Ashland County, WI | 122 km southeast | 182 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Douglas County, WI | 123 km south | 189 nights | 111 nights | 2°F |
| Carlton County, MN | 139 km southwest | 187 nights | 108 nights | 1°F |
Lake County within MN
Lake County ranks 3 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 1,957 ft, Lake County sits 843 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.
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 Isabella (14 mi W), MN, 20 km away (fair 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.