Will Pipes Freeze in Monroe County, MI? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Monroe County
In a normal year Monroe County, MI gets 52 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 66% 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 | 129 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 21 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 nights of risk to 21 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 10/23, last around 04/23. For 20°F: 11/26 to 03/24.
How cold Monroe County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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, December: 21 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 27°F | 38°F | 49°F | 59°F | 62°F | 61°F | 54°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Monroe County next to its neighbours
Washtenaw County, MI, 48 km northwest, gets 66 nights below 20°F to Monroe County's 52 nights. Lucas County, OH, 26 km south, gets 46 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, MI | - | 129 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Lucas County, OH | 26 km south | 121 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Wayne County, MI | 45 km northeast | 131 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 48 km northwest | 150 nights | 66 nights | 15°F |
| Lenawee County, MI | 49 km west | 135 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Ottawa County, OH | 57 km southeast | 121 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Wood County, OH | 63 km south | 127 nights | 50 nights | 19°F |
Monroe County within MI
Monroe County ranks 76 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 621 ft, Monroe County sits 187 ft below 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.
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 Monroe, MI, 6 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.