Will Pipes Freeze in Milwaukee County, WI? 57 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Milwaukee County
In a normal year Milwaukee County, WI gets 57 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 70% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 125 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 57 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 27 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 57 nights of risk to 27 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 10/26, last around 04/22. For 20°F: 11/24 to 03/19.
How cold Milwaukee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 27 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 18°F | 28°F | 37°F | 47°F | 57°F | 65°F | 64°F | 56°F | 44°F | 33°F | 22°F |
Milwaukee County next to its neighbours
Kenosha County, WI, 36 km south, gets 59 nights below 20°F to Milwaukee County's 57 nights. Racine County, WI, 16 km southeast, gets 55 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County, WI | - | 125 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| Racine County, WI | 16 km southeast | 124 nights | 55 nights | 16°F |
| Kenosha County, WI | 36 km south | 133 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Waukesha County, WI | 38 km west | 146 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
| Washington County, WI | 61 km northwest | 157 nights | 79 nights | 10°F |
| Walworth County, WI | 62 km southwest | 141 nights | 61 nights | 14°F |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 66 km north | 153 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
Milwaukee County within WI
Milwaukee County ranks 71 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 670 ft, Milwaukee County sits 325 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is South Milwaukee Wastewater Plant, 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.