Will Pipes Freeze in Norman County, MN? 113 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Norman County
In a normal year Norman County, MN gets 113 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 96% 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 | 180 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 113 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 77 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 49 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 113 nights of risk to 77 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 09/27, last around 05/11. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/12.
How cold Norman County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 0°F; the coldest month, January, averages -4°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, April, November, December: 77 nights a year, and 49 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -4°F | -1°F | 14°F | 30°F | 42°F | 53°F | 57°F | 54°F | 46°F | 33°F | 19°F | 5°F |
Norman County next to its neighbours
Mahnomen County, MN, 49 km east, gets 118 nights below 20°F to Norman County's 113 nights. Clay County, MN, 48 km south, gets 110 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman County, MN | - | 180 nights | 113 nights | -4°F |
| Clay County, MN | 48 km south | 175 nights | 110 nights | -1°F |
| Mahnomen County, MN | 49 km east | 187 nights | 118 nights | -3°F |
| Polk County, MN | 50 km north | 183 nights | 118 nights | -3°F |
| Traill County, ND | 54 km west | 177 nights | 112 nights | 0°F |
| Red Lake County, MN | 66 km northeast | 182 nights | 117 nights | -3°F |
| Becker County, MN | 70 km southeast | 180 nights | 116 nights | -3°F |
Norman County within MN
Norman County ranks 18 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 914 ft, Norman County sits 200 ft below 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 Ada, MN, 5 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.