Will Pipes Freeze in Swift County, MN? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Swift County
In a normal year Swift County, MN 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 | 168 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 | 37 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 10/03, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/06.
How cold Swift County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, January, averages 1°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: 63 nights a year, and 37 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 5°F | 19°F | 33°F | 46°F | 57°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 36°F | 22°F | 9°F |
Swift County next to its neighbours
Chippewa County, MN, 29 km south, gets 103 nights below 20°F to Swift County's 102 nights. Lac qui Parle County, MN, 49 km southwest, gets 100 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swift County, MN | - | 168 nights | 102 nights | 1°F |
| Chippewa County, MN | 29 km south | 170 nights | 103 nights | 3°F |
| Pope County, MN | 40 km northeast | 174 nights | 106 nights | 2°F |
| Stevens County, MN | 42 km northwest | 172 nights | 106 nights | 1°F |
| Lac qui Parle County, MN | 49 km southwest | 168 nights | 100 nights | 3°F |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 55 km east | 170 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Big Stone County, MN | 58 km west | 168 nights | 102 nights | 3°F |
Swift County within MN
Swift County ranks 44 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 1,027 ft, Swift County sits 88 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.
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 Benson, MN, 7 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.