Will Pipes Freeze in Allen County, OH? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Allen County
In a normal year Allen County, OH gets 46 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 61% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 120 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 46 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 46 nights of risk to 17 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 10/24, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/27 to 03/22.
How cold Allen County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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, December: 17 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 29°F | 39°F | 50°F | 60°F | 63°F | 62°F | 55°F | 44°F | 33°F | 25°F |
Allen County next to its neighbours
Putnam County, OH, 28 km north, gets 47 nights below 20°F to Allen County's 46 nights. Auglaize County, OH, 25 km southwest, gets 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, OH | - | 120 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Auglaize County, OH | 25 km southwest | 118 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Putnam County, OH | 28 km north | 124 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Hardin County, OH | 39 km east | 124 nights | 49 nights | 18°F |
| Van Wert County, OH | 41 km west | 125 nights | 49 nights | 18°F |
| Hancock County, OH | 45 km northeast | 117 nights | 43 nights | 20°F |
| Shelby County, OH | 49 km south | 131 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
Allen County within OH
Allen County ranks 42 of 88 OH counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Williams County, OH at 61 nights, with a 19°F average winter low. The fewest is Scioto County, OH: 28 nights, winter lows near 24°F. At 861 ft, Allen County sits 55 ft below the state's median county elevation of 916 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 Lima Wastewater Plant, OH, 6 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.