Will Pipes Freeze in St. Croix County, WI? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in St. Croix County
In a normal year St. Croix County, WI gets 102 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 92% 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 | 102 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 63 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 36 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 102 nights of risk to 63 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 10/02, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/05.
How cold St. Croix County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 6°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: 63 nights a year, and 36 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 5°F | 19°F | 32°F | 45°F | 56°F | 59°F | 57°F | 49°F | 36°F | 24°F | 10°F |
St. Croix County next to its neighbours
Pierce County, WI, 34 km south, gets 95 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Croix County, WI | - | 170 nights | 102 nights | 2°F |
| Pierce County, WI | 34 km south | 166 nights | 95 nights | 2°F |
| Washington County, MN | 35 km west | 158 nights | 94 nights | 6°F |
| Dunn County, WI | 44 km east | 164 nights | 91 nights | 4°F |
| Polk County, WI | 48 km north | 164 nights | 96 nights | 4°F |
| Ramsey County, MN | 51 km west | 155 nights | 90 nights | 7°F |
| Dakota County, MN | 63 km southwest | 155 nights | 88 nights | 5°F |
St. Croix County within WI
St. Croix County ranks 15 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 1,067 ft, St. Croix County sits 72 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 Baldwin, WI, 9 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.