Will Pipes Freeze in Floyd County, IA? 81 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Floyd County
In a normal year Floyd County, IA gets 81 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 82% 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 | 154 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 81 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 45 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 22 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 81 nights of risk to 45 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 10/06, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/05 to 03/31.
How cold Floyd 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: 45 nights a year, and 22 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 12°F | 25°F | 36°F | 48°F | 59°F | 62°F | 60°F | 51°F | 39°F | 26°F | 15°F |
Floyd County next to its neighbours
Mitchell County, IA, 33 km north, gets 86 nights below 20°F to Floyd County's 81 nights. Butler County, IA, 35 km south, gets 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County, IA | - | 154 nights | 81 nights | 8°F |
| Mitchell County, IA | 33 km north | 157 nights | 86 nights | 6°F |
| Butler County, IA | 35 km south | 150 nights | 78 nights | 8°F |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | 38 km west | 161 nights | 88 nights | 7°F |
| Chickasaw County, IA | 38 km east | 158 nights | 84 nights | 6°F |
| Bremer County, IA | 48 km southeast | 157 nights | 83 nights | 7°F |
| Howard County, IA | 51 km northeast | 166 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
Floyd County within IA
Floyd County ranks 39 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 1,065 ft, Floyd County sits close to 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 Charles City, IA, 9 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.