Will Pipes Freeze in Presque Isle County, MI? 80 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Presque Isle County
In a normal year Presque Isle County, MI gets 80 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 82% 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 | 80 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 40 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 80 nights of risk to 40 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 10/03, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 11/10 to 04/10.
How cold Presque Isle County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, February, averages 11°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, December: 40 nights a year, and 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 11°F | 19°F | 30°F | 42°F | 52°F | 57°F | 56°F | 48°F | 38°F | 29°F | 19°F |
Presque Isle County next to its neighbours
Montmorency County, MI, 60 km southwest, gets 94 nights below 20°F to Presque Isle County's 80 nights. Alpena County, MI, 40 km south, gets 73 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presque Isle County, MI | - | 164 nights | 80 nights | 12°F |
| Alpena County, MI | 40 km south | 156 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Montmorency County, MI | 60 km southwest | 192 nights | 94 nights | 10°F |
| Alcona County, MI | 67 km south | 151 nights | 67 nights | 13°F |
| Oscoda County, MI | 83 km southwest | 177 nights | 83 nights | 11°F |
| Cheboygan County, MI | 87 km west | 170 nights | 82 nights | 11°F |
| Otsego County, MI | 93 km west | 173 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
Presque Isle County within MI
Presque Isle County ranks 30 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 599 ft, Presque Isle County sits 209 ft below 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.
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 Alpena (10 mi NW), MI, 16 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.