Will Pipes Freeze in Luce County, MI? 99 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Luce County
In a normal year Luce County, MI gets 99 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 91% 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 | 190 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 99 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 22 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 99 nights of risk to 55 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 10/05, last around 05/21. For 20°F: 11/13 to 04/14.
How cold Luce County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, February, averages 9°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: 55 nights a year, and 22 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 9°F | 16°F | 27°F | 39°F | 48°F | 53°F | 53°F | 46°F | 36°F | 27°F | 17°F |
Luce County next to its neighbours
Mackinac County, MI, 42 km southeast, gets 95 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luce County, MI | - | 190 nights | 99 nights | 9°F |
| Mackinac County, MI | 42 km southeast | 184 nights | 95 nights | 9°F |
| Schoolcraft County, MI | 75 km southwest | 170 nights | 86 nights | 10°F |
| Chippewa County, MI | 79 km east | 185 nights | 94 nights | 7°F |
| Alger County, MI | 87 km west | 169 nights | 84 nights | 12°F |
| Charlevoix County, MI | 99 km south | 151 nights | 67 nights | 15°F |
| Emmet County, MI | 110 km south | 169 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
Luce County within MI
Luce County ranks 6 of 83 MI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Iron County, MI at 120 nights, with a 3°F average winter low. The fewest is Allegan County, MI: 38 nights, winter lows near 24°F. At 800 ft, Luce County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 808 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 Newberry Correctional Facility, MI, 20 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.