Will Pipes Freeze in Boone County, IN? 43 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Boone County
In a normal year Boone County, IN gets 43 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 58% 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 | 118 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 43 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 43 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 10/20, last around 04/21. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/18.
How cold Boone 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: 17 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 31°F | 41°F | 52°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 55°F | 44°F | 34°F | 25°F |
Boone County next to its neighbours
Clinton County, IN, 28 km north, gets 44 nights below 20°F to Boone County's 43 nights. Hendricks County, IN, 32 km south, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County, IN | - | 118 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
| Clinton County, IN | 28 km north | 119 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Hendricks County, IN | 32 km south | 115 nights | 41 nights | 19°F |
| Montgomery County, IN | 36 km west | 137 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
| Hamilton County, IN | 38 km east | 122 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Marion County, IN | 41 km southeast | 114 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
| Tipton County, IN | 45 km northeast | 131 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
Boone County within IN
Boone County ranks 52 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 932 ft, Boone County sits 173 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 Whitestown, IN, 12 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.