Will Pipes Freeze in Trempealeau County, WI? 96 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Trempealeau County
In a normal year Trempealeau County, WI gets 96 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 90% 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 | 172 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 96 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 31 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 96 nights of risk to 55 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 10/01, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/08.
How cold Trempealeau 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: 55 nights a year, and 31 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 9°F | 22°F | 33°F | 45°F | 56°F | 59°F | 57°F | 49°F | 36°F | 25°F | 13°F |
Trempealeau County next to its neighbours
Jackson County, WI, 45 km east, gets 98 nights below 20°F to Trempealeau County's 96 nights. Buffalo County, WI, 33 km west, gets 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trempealeau County, WI | - | 172 nights | 96 nights | 5°F |
| Buffalo County, WI | 33 km west | 147 nights | 78 nights | 8°F |
| Jackson County, WI | 45 km east | 176 nights | 98 nights | 5°F |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 47 km north | 163 nights | 93 nights | 5°F |
| La Crosse County, WI | 48 km southeast | 141 nights | 72 nights | 10°F |
| Winona County, MN | 49 km southwest | 150 nights | 81 nights | 8°F |
| Pepin County, WI | 52 km northwest | 159 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
Trempealeau County within WI
Trempealeau County ranks 22 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 1,222 ft, Trempealeau County sits 226 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.
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 Blair, WI, 10 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.