Will Pipes Freeze in Oakland County, MI? 57 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Oakland County
In a normal year Oakland County, MI 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 69% 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 | 137 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 57 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 23 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 57 nights of risk to 23 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 10/20, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/27.
How cold Oakland County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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: 23 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 18°F | 26°F | 36°F | 47°F | 57°F | 62°F | 61°F | 53°F | 42°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Oakland County next to its neighbours
Livingston County, MI, 44 km west, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Oakland County's 57 nights. Macomb County, MI, 39 km east, gets 52 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland County, MI | - | 137 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| Macomb County, MI | 39 km east | 130 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Wayne County, MI | 43 km south | 131 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Livingston County, MI | 44 km west | 154 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Genesee County, MI | 48 km northwest | 147 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Lapeer County, MI | 49 km north | 145 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 59 km southwest | 150 nights | 66 nights | 15°F |
Oakland County within MI
Oakland County ranks 67 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 966 ft, Oakland County sits 158 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.
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 Pontiac Oakland County International Airport, MI, 3 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.