Will Pipes Freeze in Marquette County, MI? 91 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marquette County
In a normal year Marquette County, MI gets 91 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 88% 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 | 175 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 91 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 46 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 91 nights of risk to 46 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 09/29, last around 05/22. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/19.
How cold Marquette County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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, April, November, December: 46 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 10°F | 18°F | 29°F | 40°F | 50°F | 56°F | 55°F | 49°F | 38°F | 27°F | 17°F |
Marquette County next to its neighbours
Baraga County, MI, 59 km west, gets 115 nights below 20°F to Marquette County's 91 nights. Alger County, MI, 72 km east, gets 84 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette County, MI | - | 175 nights | 91 nights | 10°F |
| Baraga County, MI | 59 km west | 195 nights | 115 nights | 6°F |
| Alger County, MI | 72 km east | 169 nights | 84 nights | 12°F |
| Dickinson County, MI | 75 km south | 186 nights | 103 nights | 5°F |
| Houghton County, MI | 90 km northwest | 186 nights | 96 nights | 9°F |
| Iron County, MI | 91 km southwest | 205 nights | 120 nights | 0°F |
| Keweenaw County, MI | 98 km northwest | 169 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
Marquette County within MI
Marquette County ranks 14 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 963 ft, Marquette County sits 156 ft above 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.
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 Marquette, MI, 14 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.