Will Pipes Freeze in Buena Vista County, IA? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Buena Vista County
In a normal year Buena Vista County, IA gets 85 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 85% 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 | 154 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 47 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 22 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 nights of risk to 47 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 10/13, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/31.
How cold Buena Vista County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°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: 47 nights a year, and 22 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 13°F | 25°F | 36°F | 49°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 52°F | 39°F | 26°F | 15°F |
Buena Vista County next to its neighbours
Clay County, IA, 38 km north, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Buena Vista County's 85 nights. Sac County, IA, 39 km south, gets 83 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista County, IA | - | 154 nights | 85 nights | 8°F |
| Clay County, IA | 38 km north | 162 nights | 89 nights | 8°F |
| Pocahontas County, IA | 38 km east | 157 nights | 86 nights | 8°F |
| Sac County, IA | 39 km south | 157 nights | 83 nights | 8°F |
| Cherokee County, IA | 40 km west | 161 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
| Ida County, IA | 49 km southwest | 156 nights | 82 nights | 8°F |
| Palo Alto County, IA | 53 km northeast | 153 nights | 83 nights | 7°F |
Buena Vista County within IA
Buena Vista County ranks 21 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 1,305 ft, Buena Vista County sits 216 ft above 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.
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 Storm Lake, IA, 11 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.