Will Pipes Freeze in Stearns County, MN? 100 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Stearns County
In a normal year Stearns 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 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 | 166 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 100 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 63 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 35 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 100 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 10/07, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/07.
How cold Stearns 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 35 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 6°F | 19°F | 32°F | 46°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 37°F | 23°F | 10°F |
Stearns County next to its neighbours
Benton County, MN, 50 km east, gets 108 nights below 20°F to Stearns County's 100 nights. Meeker County, MN, 48 km south, gets 100 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns County, MN | - | 166 nights | 100 nights | 2°F |
| Meeker County, MN | 48 km south | 168 nights | 100 nights | 0°F |
| Benton County, MN | 50 km east | 177 nights | 108 nights | 1°F |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 54 km southwest | 170 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Morrison County, MN | 58 km northeast | 168 nights | 102 nights | 3°F |
| Todd County, MN | 61 km north | 178 nights | 108 nights | -1°F |
| Pope County, MN | 65 km west | 174 nights | 106 nights | 2°F |
Stearns County within MN
Stearns County ranks 46 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 1,202 ft, Stearns County sits 88 ft above 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.
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 Collegeville St John's, MN, 17 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.