Will Pipes Freeze in Mower County, MN? 94 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Mower County
In a normal year Mower County, MN gets 94 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 89% 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 | 167 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 94 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 30 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 94 nights of risk to 55 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 10/01, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 10/31 to 04/06.
How cold Mower County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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, November, December: 55 nights a year, and 30 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 9°F | 21°F | 33°F | 46°F | 57°F | 60°F | 57°F | 49°F | 36°F | 24°F | 13°F |
Mower County next to its neighbours
Mitchell County, IA, 35 km south, gets 86 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mower County, MN | - | 167 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Mitchell County, IA | 35 km south | 157 nights | 86 nights | 6°F |
| Dodge County, MN | 40 km north | 166 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Olmsted County, MN | 46 km northeast | 162 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Freeborn County, MN | 48 km west | 160 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Howard County, IA | 49 km southeast | 166 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
| Worth County, IA | 51 km southwest | 164 nights | 92 nights | 4°F |
Mower County within MN
Mower County ranks 64 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 1,360 ft, Mower County sits 245 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.
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 Grand Meadow, MN, 16 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.