Will Pipes Freeze in Manitowoc County, WI? 69 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Manitowoc County
In a normal year Manitowoc County, WI gets 69 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 76% 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 | 140 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 69 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 13 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 69 nights of risk to 34 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 10/21, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/28.
How cold Manitowoc County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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: 34 nights a year, and 13 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 14°F | 23°F | 34°F | 44°F | 53°F | 59°F | 60°F | 52°F | 41°F | 29°F | 19°F |
Manitowoc County next to its neighbours
Brown County, WI, 49 km northwest, gets 79 nights below 20°F to Manitowoc County's 69 nights. Sheboygan County, WI, 48 km south, gets 66 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc County, WI | - | 140 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Sheboygan County, WI | 48 km south | 135 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Brown County, WI | 49 km northwest | 154 nights | 79 nights | 10°F |
| Kewaunee County, WI | 51 km north | 147 nights | 74 nights | 11°F |
| Calumet County, WI | 51 km west | 156 nights | 81 nights | 10°F |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 76 km south | 153 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
| Outagamie County, WI | 76 km northwest | 161 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
Manitowoc County within WI
Manitowoc County ranks 67 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 586 ft, Manitowoc County sits 409 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 Two Rivers, WI, 2 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.