Will Pipes Freeze in Blackford County, IN? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Blackford County
In a normal year Blackford County, IN 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 | 117 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 46 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 46 nights of risk to 19 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 10/22, last around 04/22. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/21.
How cold Blackford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 19 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 30°F | 41°F | 52°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 55°F | 44°F | 34°F | 25°F |
Blackford County next to its neighbours
Jay County, IN, 28 km east, gets 52 nights below 20°F to Blackford County's 46 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackford County, IN | - | 117 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Jay County, IN | 28 km east | 132 nights | 52 nights | 17°F |
| Delaware County, IN | 28 km south | 119 nights | 46 nights | 21°F |
| Grant County, IN | 28 km west | 126 nights | 48 nights | 18°F |
| Wells County, IN | 31 km north | 125 nights | 50 nights | 17°F |
| Huntington County, IN | 41 km north | 132 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Randolph County, IN | 44 km southeast | 125 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
Blackford County within IN
Blackford County ranks 41 of 92 IN counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Steuben County, IN at 63 nights, with a 19°F average winter low. The fewest is Floyd County, IN: 19 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 885 ft, Blackford County sits 126 ft above the state's median county elevation of 759 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 Hartford City (4 mi ESE), IN, 5 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.