Will Pipes Freeze in Ashtabula County, OH? 51 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Ashtabula County
In a normal year Ashtabula County, OH gets 51 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 65% 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 | 132 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 51 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 51 nights of risk to 20 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 10/21, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/30 to 03/26.
How cold Ashtabula County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 20 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 18°F | 26°F | 36°F | 46°F | 55°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 42°F | 33°F | 25°F |
Ashtabula County next to its neighbours
Geauga County, OH, 58 km southwest, gets 55 nights below 20°F to Ashtabula County's 51 nights. Lake County, OH, 40 km west, gets 35 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula County, OH | - | 132 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Lake County, OH | 40 km west | 105 nights | 35 nights | 23°F |
| Geauga County, OH | 58 km southwest | 138 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Crawford County, PA | 58 km southeast | 130 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Erie County, PA | 59 km northeast | 113 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Trumbull County, OH | 67 km south | 133 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Mercer County, PA | 79 km southeast | 156 nights | 67 nights | 16°F |
Ashtabula County within OH
Ashtabula County ranks 17 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 639 ft, Ashtabula County sits 276 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Ashtabula County Airport, OH, 15 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.