Will Pipes Freeze in Racine County, WI? 55 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Racine County
In a normal year Racine County, WI gets 55 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 68% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 124 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 55 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 55 nights of risk to 24 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 10/24, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/20.
How cold Racine County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 24 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 18°F | 27°F | 37°F | 46°F | 57°F | 63°F | 63°F | 55°F | 43°F | 32°F | 22°F |
Racine County next to its neighbours
Milwaukee County, WI, 16 km northwest, gets 57 nights below 20°F to Racine County's 55 nights. Lake County, IL, 66 km south, gets 53 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racine County, WI | - | 124 nights | 55 nights | 16°F |
| Milwaukee County, WI | 16 km northwest | 125 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| Kenosha County, WI | 23 km south | 133 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Waukesha County, WI | 51 km northwest | 146 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
| Walworth County, WI | 64 km west | 141 nights | 61 nights | 14°F |
| Lake County, IL | 66 km south | 127 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| McHenry County, IL | 75 km southwest | 139 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
Racine County within WI
Racine County ranks 72 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. At 611 ft, Racine County sits 385 ft below 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.
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 Racine Batten Airport, WI, 4 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.