Will Pipes Freeze in Martin County, MN? 86 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Martin County
In a normal year Martin County, MN gets 86 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 85% 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 | 153 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 86 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 50 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 24 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 86 nights of risk to 50 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 10/14, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/31.
How cold Martin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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: 50 nights a year, and 24 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 10°F | 22°F | 35°F | 49°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 52°F | 39°F | 25°F | 13°F |
Martin County next to its neighbours
Watonwan County, MN, 34 km north, gets 93 nights below 20°F to Martin County's 86 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin County, MN | - | 153 nights | 86 nights | 6°F |
| Watonwan County, MN | 34 km north | 160 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Emmet County, IA | 35 km south | 164 nights | 91 nights | 6°F |
| Faribault County, MN | 48 km east | 159 nights | 91 nights | 6°F |
| Jackson County, MN | 48 km west | 168 nights | 99 nights | 5°F |
| Blue Earth County, MN | 55 km northeast | 159 nights | 90 nights | 7°F |
| Kossuth County, IA | 58 km southeast | 161 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
Martin County within MN
Martin County ranks 86 of 87 MN counties for nights below 20°F. The most is St. Louis County, MN at 130 nights, with a 0°F average winter low. The fewest is Winona County, MN: 81 nights, winter lows near 12°F. At 1,220 ft, Martin County sits 106 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,114 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 Fairmont, MN, 8 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.