Will Pipes Freeze in Marinette County, WI? 103 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marinette County
In a normal year Marinette County, WI gets 103 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 93% 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 | 188 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 103 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 59 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 32 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 103 nights of risk to 59 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 09/22, last around 05/26. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/24.
How cold Marinette County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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: 59 nights a year, and 32 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 6°F | 17°F | 28°F | 40°F | 51°F | 55°F | 54°F | 46°F | 34°F | 24°F | 13°F |
Marinette County next to its neighbours
Florence County, WI, 67 km northwest, gets 112 nights below 20°F to Marinette County's 103 nights. Oconto County, WI, 42 km southwest, gets 93 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marinette County, WI | - | 188 nights | 103 nights | 5°F |
| Oconto County, WI | 42 km southwest | 175 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
| Menominee County, MI | 44 km northeast | 186 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Menominee County, WI | 66 km southwest | 176 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Florence County, WI | 67 km northwest | 194 nights | 112 nights | 3°F |
| Forest County, WI | 71 km northwest | 190 nights | 109 nights | 4°F |
| Dickinson County, MI | 75 km north | 186 nights | 103 nights | 5°F |
Marinette County within WI
Marinette County ranks 12 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 744 ft, Marinette County sits 251 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 Crivitz High Falls, WI, 16 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.