Will Pipes Freeze in Otter Tail County, MN? 110 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Otter Tail County
In a normal year Otter Tail County, MN gets 110 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 | 174 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 110 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 72 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 44 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 110 nights of risk to 72 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 10/05, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/10.
How cold Otter Tail County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 2°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: 72 nights a year, and 44 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2°F | 2°F | 16°F | 30°F | 44°F | 55°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 35°F | 21°F | 7°F |
Otter Tail County next to its neighbours
Wilkin County, MN, 59 km west, gets 112 nights below 20°F to Otter Tail County's 110 nights. Douglas County, MN, 56 km south, gets 102 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail County, MN | - | 174 nights | 110 nights | -2°F |
| Douglas County, MN | 56 km south | 168 nights | 102 nights | 2°F |
| Grant County, MN | 58 km southwest | 171 nights | 105 nights | 1°F |
| Wilkin County, MN | 59 km west | 178 nights | 112 nights | -1°F |
| Wadena County, MN | 59 km east | 184 nights | 115 nights | -2°F |
| Becker County, MN | 59 km north | 180 nights | 116 nights | -3°F |
| Todd County, MN | 73 km southeast | 178 nights | 108 nights | -1°F |
Otter Tail County within MN
Otter Tail County ranks 22 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 1,326 ft, Otter Tail County sits 212 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.
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 Ottertail, MN, 13 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.