Will Pipes Freeze in Winnebago County, WI? 77 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Winnebago County
In a normal year Winnebago County, WI gets 77 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 81% 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 | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 77 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 40 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 77 nights of risk to 40 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 10/20, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/26.
How cold Winnebago County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 40 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 13°F | 23°F | 35°F | 47°F | 58°F | 62°F | 60°F | 52°F | 40°F | 28°F | 17°F |
Winnebago County next to its neighbours
Calumet County, WI, 36 km east, gets 81 nights below 20°F to Winnebago County's 77 nights. Fond du Lac County, WI, 39 km south, gets 71 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago County, WI | - | 146 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Calumet County, WI | 36 km east | 156 nights | 81 nights | 10°F |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | 39 km south | 143 nights | 71 nights | 11°F |
| Outagamie County, WI | 40 km northeast | 161 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Green Lake County, WI | 42 km southwest | 160 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Waushara County, WI | 46 km west | 161 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Waupaca County, WI | 50 km northwest | 164 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
Winnebago County within WI
Winnebago County ranks 55 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 749 ft, Winnebago County sits 247 ft below 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Oshkosh, WI, 11 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.