Will Pipes Freeze in Marathon County, WI? 93 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marathon County
In a normal year Marathon County, WI gets 93 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 89% 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 | 166 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 93 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 52 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 27 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 93 nights of risk to 52 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 10/04, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/08 to 04/04.
How cold Marathon County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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, November, December: 52 nights a year, and 27 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 9°F | 20°F | 32°F | 44°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 48°F | 37°F | 25°F | 13°F |
Marathon County next to its neighbours
Lincoln County, WI, 48 km north, gets 106 nights below 20°F to Marathon County's 93 nights. Portage County, WI, 51 km southeast, gets 90 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon County, WI | - | 166 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
| Lincoln County, WI | 48 km north | 180 nights | 106 nights | 2°F |
| Portage County, WI | 51 km southeast | 164 nights | 90 nights | 7°F |
| Wood County, WI | 53 km southwest | 165 nights | 91 nights | 6°F |
| Langlade County, WI | 67 km northeast | 183 nights | 106 nights | 4°F |
| Taylor County, WI | 68 km northwest | 177 nights | 103 nights | 3°F |
| Clark County, WI | 69 km west | 175 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
Marathon County within WI
Marathon County ranks 30 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 1,349 ft, Marathon County sits 354 ft above 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.
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 Wausau Dwtn Airport, WI, 11 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.