Will Pipes Freeze in Walworth County, WI? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Walworth County
In a normal year Walworth County, WI gets 61 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 71% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 141 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 26 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 nights of risk to 26 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 10/14, last around 04/28. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/24.
How cold Walworth County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 26 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 16°F | 25°F | 36°F | 47°F | 57°F | 61°F | 60°F | 52°F | 40°F | 30°F | 20°F |
Walworth County next to its neighbours
McHenry County, IL, 39 km south, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Walworth County's 61 nights. Kenosha County, WI, 55 km east, gets 59 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walworth County, WI | - | 141 nights | 61 nights | 14°F |
| McHenry County, IL | 39 km south | 139 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Jefferson County, WI | 43 km northwest | 144 nights | 73 nights | 11°F |
| Waukesha County, WI | 43 km northeast | 146 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
| Rock County, WI | 44 km west | 147 nights | 71 nights | 11°F |
| Boone County, IL | 45 km southwest | 146 nights | 70 nights | 12°F |
| Kenosha County, WI | 55 km east | 133 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
Walworth County within WI
Walworth County ranks 69 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 1,010 ft, Walworth County sits close to 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 Delavan Wastewater Plant, WI, 10 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.