Will Pipes Freeze in Franklin County, IN? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Franklin County
In a normal year Franklin County, IN gets 41 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 57% 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 | 120 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 14 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 10/21, last around 04/20. For 20°F: 11/26 to 03/15.
How cold Franklin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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: 14 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 23°F | 31°F | 41°F | 51°F | 60°F | 64°F | 62°F | 55°F | 43°F | 33°F | 25°F |
Franklin County next to its neighbours
Union County, IN, 27 km northeast, gets 44 nights below 20°F to Franklin County's 41 nights. Decatur County, IN, 39 km west, gets 37 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, IN | - | 120 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Union County, IN | 27 km northeast | 121 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Fayette County, IN | 27 km north | 129 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Dearborn County, IN | 31 km south | 123 nights | 43 nights | 20°F |
| Ripley County, IN | 38 km southwest | 120 nights | 43 nights | 21°F |
| Decatur County, IN | 39 km west | 109 nights | 37 nights | 22°F |
| Rush County, IN | 42 km northwest | 119 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
Franklin County within IN
Franklin County ranks 60 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 931 ft, Franklin County sits 172 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 Brookville, IN, 5 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.