Will Pipes Freeze in Steele County, MN? 91 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Steele County
In a normal year Steele County, MN gets 91 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 88% 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 | 160 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 91 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 54 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 29 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 91 nights of risk to 54 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 10/06, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/05.
How cold Steele County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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, November, December: 54 nights a year, and 29 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 9°F | 22°F | 34°F | 47°F | 58°F | 62°F | 59°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 13°F |
Steele County next to its neighbours
Dodge County, MN, 28 km east, gets 93 nights below 20°F to Steele County's 91 nights. Freeborn County, MN, 39 km south, gets 90 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steele County, MN | - | 160 nights | 91 nights | 5°F |
| Dodge County, MN | 28 km east | 166 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| Waseca County, MN | 30 km west | 162 nights | 92 nights | 5°F |
| Rice County, MN | 38 km north | 167 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Freeborn County, MN | 39 km south | 160 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Mower County, MN | 54 km southeast | 167 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 57 km northwest | 163 nights | 93 nights | 4°F |
Steele County within MN
Steele County ranks 78 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 1,182 ft, Steele County sits 68 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Owatonna, MN, 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.