Pine County, Minnesota · Pine City
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Pipes freeze in Pine County on about 94 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 23% of the stock here, are most at risk.
July brings the most downpours to Pine County, part of 5.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
23% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Pine County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.51 inches, and about 92 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
53% of occupied homes in Pine County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Minnesota county median of 30%.
With 4 muggy nights a year, mold in Pine County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Pine County covers 1,411 square miles of central Minnesota, with about 29,640 residents and 17,284 homes. The county seat is Pine City, and Sandstone, Rock Creek and Hinckley round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Pine County ranks 62 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pine County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Pine County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 170 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 94 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 87 Minnesota counties that's 34th.
The longest cold spell was straight 59 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2019. The coldest night reached about -36°F on January 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November to April, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 8 and end around May 10.
Rainfall is about average for Minnesota. Of roughly 32.3 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 34th of 87. June, July and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.51 inches, July 12, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.5 inches, ending July 12, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 92 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
45% of homes in Pine County predate 1980, below the Minnesota county median of 58.4%, which ranks 68th of Minnesota's 87 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 28% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
27% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 15% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
With 29% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Pine County averages 4 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Pine County homes break down as 30% utility gas, 13% electric, 43% propane and 10% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Minnesota norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Pine County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Aitkin and Carlton get more pipe-freeze nights than Pine. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Carlton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 56% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pine | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 34% | 66 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 58% | 68 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 28% | 21% | 22 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 15% | 3.8% | 2 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 29% | 11% | 11 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 53% | 30% | 8 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 94/yr | 89/yr | 34 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.6/yr | 5.3/yr | 34 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 92/yr | 86/yr | 7 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 4/yr | 13/yr | 71 of 87 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Minnesota county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Pine County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in June, July and September.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology