Will Pipes Freeze in Sherburne County, MN? 100 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Sherburne County
In a normal year Sherburne County, MN gets 100 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 91% 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 | 170 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 100 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 61 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 33 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 100 nights of risk to 61 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 09/28, last around 05/07. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/07.
How cold Sherburne County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 4°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: 61 nights a year, and 33 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4°F | 8°F | 20°F | 33°F | 45°F | 55°F | 59°F | 57°F | 49°F | 36°F | 23°F | 11°F |
Sherburne County next to its neighbours
Benton County, MN, 33 km northwest, gets 108 nights below 20°F to Sherburne County's 100 nights. Wright County, MN, 35 km southwest, gets 98 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherburne County, MN | - | 170 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Benton County, MN | 33 km northwest | 177 nights | 108 nights | 1°F |
| Wright County, MN | 35 km southwest | 163 nights | 98 nights | 3°F |
| Isanti County, MN | 39 km east | 171 nights | 103 nights | 4°F |
| Anoka County, MN | 46 km southeast | 168 nights | 99 nights | 4°F |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 54 km north | 178 nights | 107 nights | 0°F |
| Hennepin County, MN | 55 km southeast | 156 nights | 88 nights | 7°F |
Sherburne County within MN
Sherburne County ranks 50 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 975 ft, Sherburne County sits 139 ft below 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.
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 Santiago (3 mi E), MN, 10 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.