Will Pipes Freeze in Oneida County, WI? 108 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Oneida County
In a normal year Oneida County, WI gets 108 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 95% 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 | 187 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 108 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 65 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 37 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 108 nights of risk to 65 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 09/23, last around 05/26. For 20°F: 10/31 to 04/19.
How cold Oneida County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, January, averages 2°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: 65 nights a year, and 37 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 4°F | 16°F | 28°F | 41°F | 51°F | 55°F | 53°F | 45°F | 34°F | 22°F | 10°F |
Oneida County next to its neighbours
Vilas County, WI, 37 km north, gets 116 nights below 20°F to Oneida County's 108 nights. Lincoln County, WI, 45 km south, gets 106 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oneida County, WI | - | 187 nights | 108 nights | 2°F |
| Vilas County, WI | 37 km north | 193 nights | 116 nights | 1°F |
| Lincoln County, WI | 45 km south | 180 nights | 106 nights | 2°F |
| Forest County, WI | 59 km east | 190 nights | 109 nights | 4°F |
| Langlade County, WI | 63 km southeast | 183 nights | 106 nights | 4°F |
| Price County, WI | 64 km west | 190 nights | 114 nights | 1°F |
| Gogebic County, MI | 88 km north | 199 nights | 116 nights | 3°F |
Oneida County within WI
Oneida County ranks 9 of 72 WI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Vilas County, WI at 116 nights, with a 4°F average winter low. The fewest is Racine County, WI: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 1,569 ft, Oneida County sits 573 ft above the state's median county elevation of 995 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 Rhinelander Oneida Airport, WI, 11 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.