Will Pipes Freeze in Newaygo County, MI? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Newaygo County
In a normal year Newaygo County, MI gets 72 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 78% 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 | 160 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 nights of risk to 29 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 10/11, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 11/22 to 04/02.
How cold Newaygo County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, February, averages 14°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, December: 29 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 14°F | 22°F | 32°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 56°F | 48°F | 38°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Newaygo County next to its neighbours
Mecosta County, MI, 38 km east, gets 75 nights below 20°F to Newaygo County's 72 nights. Muskegon County, MI, 53 km west, gets 54 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newaygo County, MI | - | 160 nights | 72 nights | 14°F |
| Mecosta County, MI | 38 km east | 165 nights | 75 nights | 13°F |
| Lake County, MI | 48 km north | 171 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Muskegon County, MI | 53 km west | 144 nights | 54 nights | 19°F |
| Oceana County, MI | 55 km west | 151 nights | 62 nights | 17°F |
| Montcalm County, MI | 59 km southeast | 159 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Osceola County, MI | 61 km northeast | 175 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
Newaygo County within MI
Newaygo County ranks 38 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 882 ft, Newaygo County sits 74 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 Fremont (4 mi WSW), MI, 23 km away (fair 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.