Will Pipes Freeze in DeKalb County, IN? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in DeKalb County
In a normal year DeKalb County, IN gets 54 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 67% 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 | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 21 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 21 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 10/10, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/15 to 03/31.
How cold DeKalb County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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, December: 21 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 19°F | 27°F | 37°F | 48°F | 58°F | 61°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 31°F | 23°F |
DeKalb County next to its neighbours
Steuben County, IN, 27 km north, gets 63 nights below 20°F to DeKalb County's 54 nights. Allen County, IN, 34 km south, gets 48 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, IN | - | 134 nights | 54 nights | 17°F |
| Steuben County, IN | 27 km north | 145 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
| Allen County, IN | 34 km south | 128 nights | 48 nights | 18°F |
| Noble County, IN | 35 km west | 130 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Williams County, OH | 40 km northeast | 144 nights | 61 nights | 17°F |
| Defiance County, OH | 44 km east | 125 nights | 48 nights | 18°F |
| LaGrange County, IN | 45 km northwest | 140 nights | 62 nights | 17°F |
DeKalb County within IN
DeKalb County ranks 10 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 871 ft, DeKalb County sits 112 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 Garrett (1 mi S), IN, 12 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.