Will Pipes Freeze in Allamakee County, IA? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Allamakee County
In a normal year Allamakee County, IA gets 85 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 85% 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 | 158 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 47 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 23 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 nights of risk to 47 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 10/11, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/10 to 04/01.
How cold Allamakee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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: 47 nights a year, and 23 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 12°F | 23°F | 35°F | 46°F | 58°F | 62°F | 59°F | 51°F | 39°F | 27°F | 15°F |
Allamakee County next to its neighbours
Houston County, MN, 45 km north, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Allamakee County's 85 nights. Crawford County, WI, 36 km east, gets 76 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allamakee County, IA | - | 158 nights | 85 nights | 8°F |
| Crawford County, WI | 36 km east | 147 nights | 76 nights | 8°F |
| Winneshiek County, IA | 38 km west | 159 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Houston County, MN | 45 km north | 160 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Clayton County, IA | 48 km south | 154 nights | 81 nights | 8°F |
| Vernon County, WI | 58 km northeast | 164 nights | 89 nights | 7°F |
| Fayette County, IA | 59 km southwest | 164 nights | 88 nights | 6°F |
Allamakee County within IA
Allamakee County ranks 18 of 99 IA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Osceola County, IA at 99 nights, with a 8°F average winter low. The fewest is Des Moines County, IA: 52 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 1,120 ft, Allamakee County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 1,090 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 Waukon, IA, 7 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.