Will Pipes Freeze in Portage County, WI? 90 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Portage County
In a normal year Portage County, WI gets 90 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 88% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 90 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 49 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 25 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 90 nights of risk to 49 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 10/07, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/10 to 04/04.
How cold Portage County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 7°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, November, December: 49 nights a year, and 25 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7°F | 9°F | 21°F | 33°F | 45°F | 55°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 37°F | 25°F | 14°F |
Portage County next to its neighbours
Marathon County, WI, 51 km northwest, gets 93 nights below 20°F to Portage County's 90 nights. Waupaca County, WI, 42 km east, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage County, WI | - | 164 nights | 90 nights | 7°F |
| Waupaca County, WI | 42 km east | 164 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
| Wood County, WI | 43 km west | 165 nights | 91 nights | 6°F |
| Waushara County, WI | 45 km southeast | 161 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Marathon County, WI | 51 km northwest | 166 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
| Adams County, WI | 60 km south | 169 nights | 94 nights | 6°F |
| Shawano County, WI | 68 km northeast | 172 nights | 94 nights | 6°F |
Portage County within WI
Portage County ranks 33 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 1,094 ft, Portage County sits 99 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Stevens Pt, WI, 8 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.