Will Pipes Freeze in Wexford County, MI? 84 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Wexford County
In a normal year Wexford County, MI gets 84 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 84% 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 | 174 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 84 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 43 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 84 nights of risk to 43 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 05/19. For 20°F: 11/12 to 04/11.
How cold Wexford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, February, averages 11°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: 43 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 11°F | 19°F | 31°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 37°F | 28°F | 19°F |
Wexford County next to its neighbours
Missaukee County, MI, 39 km east, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Wexford County's 84 nights. Lake County, MI, 42 km southwest, gets 81 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wexford County, MI | - | 174 nights | 84 nights | 12°F |
| Missaukee County, MI | 39 km east | 180 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Lake County, MI | 42 km southwest | 171 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Osceola County, MI | 42 km southeast | 175 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 43 km north | 151 nights | 64 nights | 17°F |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 54 km northeast | 181 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Manistee County, MI | 61 km west | 141 nights | 55 nights | 18°F |
Wexford County within MI
Wexford County ranks 24 of 83 MI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Iron County, MI at 120 nights, with a 3°F average winter low. The fewest is Allegan County, MI: 38 nights, winter lows near 24°F. At 1,427 ft, Wexford County sits 619 ft above the state's median county elevation of 808 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 Cadillac, MI, 16 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.