Will Pipes Freeze in Des Moines County, IA? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Des Moines County
In a normal year Des Moines County, IA gets 52 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 65% 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 | 121 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 23 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 nights of risk to 23 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 04/15. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/16.
How cold Des Moines County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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, November, December: 23 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 20°F | 30°F | 41°F | 53°F | 62°F | 66°F | 64°F | 56°F | 44°F | 32°F | 22°F |
Des Moines County next to its neighbours
Henry County, IA, 31 km west, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Des Moines County's 52 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines County, IA | - | 121 nights | 52 nights | 16°F |
| Henderson County, IL | 24 km southeast | 121 nights | 52 nights | 16°F |
| Henry County, IA | 31 km west | 130 nights | 58 nights | 13°F |
| Louisa County, IA | 34 km north | 131 nights | 57 nights | 12°F |
| Lee County, IA | 39 km southwest | 124 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
| Warren County, IL | 48 km east | 132 nights | 57 nights | 14°F |
| Mercer County, IL | 49 km northeast | 138 nights | 62 nights | 13°F |
Des Moines County within IA
Des Moines County ranks 99 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. At 714 ft, Des Moines County sits 376 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Burlington Municipal Airport, IA, 16 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.