Will Pipes Freeze in Pope County, MN? 106 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Pope County
In a normal year Pope County, MN gets 106 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 94% 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 | 106 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 68 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 39 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 106 nights of risk to 68 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: 10/28 to 04/13.
How cold Pope 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: 68 nights a year, and 39 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 5°F | 19°F | 31°F | 44°F | 54°F | 58°F | 56°F | 47°F | 34°F | 21°F | 8°F |
Pope County next to its neighbours
Douglas County, MN, 39 km north, gets 102 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope County, MN | - | 174 nights | 106 nights | 2°F |
| Douglas County, MN | 39 km north | 168 nights | 102 nights | 2°F |
| Swift County, MN | 40 km southwest | 168 nights | 102 nights | 1°F |
| Stevens County, MN | 42 km west | 172 nights | 106 nights | 1°F |
| Grant County, MN | 58 km northwest | 171 nights | 105 nights | 1°F |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 60 km southeast | 170 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Chippewa County, MN | 63 km south | 170 nights | 103 nights | 3°F |
Pope County within MN
Pope County ranks 31 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 1,259 ft, Pope County sits 145 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 Glenwood (2 mi WNW), MN, 8 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.