Will Pipes Freeze in Benton County, IA? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Benton County
In a normal year Benton County, IA gets 72 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 78% 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 | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 36 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 nights of risk to 36 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 10/03, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 10/31 to 04/04.
How cold Benton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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: 36 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 13°F | 24°F | 35°F | 47°F | 57°F | 61°F | 58°F | 50°F | 38°F | 26°F | 15°F |
Benton County next to its neighbours
Tama County, IA, 39 km west, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Benton County's 72 nights. Linn County, IA, 38 km east, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, IA | - | 146 nights | 72 nights | 9°F |
| Linn County, IA | 38 km east | 135 nights | 63 nights | 12°F |
| Tama County, IA | 39 km west | 152 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Iowa County, IA | 45 km south | 151 nights | 74 nights | 10°F |
| Buchanan County, IA | 46 km northeast | 152 nights | 78 nights | 8°F |
| Black Hawk County, IA | 47 km northwest | 150 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 60 km southwest | 155 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
Benton County within IA
Benton County ranks 65 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 854 ft, Benton County sits 235 ft below 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 Vinton, IA, 10 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.