Will Pipes Freeze in Buchanan County, IA? 78 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Buchanan County
In a normal year Buchanan County, IA gets 78 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 81% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 152 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 78 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 42 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 20 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 78 nights of risk to 42 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 10/07, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/01.
How cold Buchanan County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 42 nights a year, and 20 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 11°F | 24°F | 35°F | 48°F | 59°F | 62°F | 59°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 15°F |
Buchanan County next to its neighbours
Delaware County, IA, 39 km east, gets 82 nights below 20°F to Buchanan County's 78 nights. Black Hawk County, IA, 38 km west, gets 77 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, IA | - | 152 nights | 78 nights | 8°F |
| Black Hawk County, IA | 38 km west | 150 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Delaware County, IA | 39 km east | 158 nights | 82 nights | 8°F |
| Fayette County, IA | 44 km north | 164 nights | 88 nights | 6°F |
| Benton County, IA | 46 km southwest | 146 nights | 72 nights | 9°F |
| Linn County, IA | 48 km southeast | 135 nights | 63 nights | 12°F |
| Bremer County, IA | 53 km northwest | 157 nights | 83 nights | 7°F |
Buchanan County within IA
Buchanan County ranks 47 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 969 ft, Buchanan County sits 120 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Independence #1, IA, 7 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.