Will Pipes Freeze in Fremont County, IA? 62 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fremont County
In a normal year Fremont County, IA gets 62 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 73% 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 | 135 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 62 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 62 nights of risk to 29 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 10/19, last around 04/19. For 20°F: 11/14 to 03/21.
How cold Fremont County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 29 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 17°F | 28°F | 39°F | 51°F | 61°F | 65°F | 63°F | 54°F | 42°F | 29°F | 19°F |
Fremont County next to its neighbours
Mills County, IA, 32 km north, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Fremont County's 62 nights. Atchison County, MO, 37 km south, gets 60 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, IA | - | 135 nights | 62 nights | 13°F |
| Mills County, IA | 32 km north | 144 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Atchison County, MO | 37 km south | 138 nights | 60 nights | 15°F |
| Page County, IA | 38 km east | 145 nights | 70 nights | 12°F |
| Nemaha County, NE | 45 km southwest | 137 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Otoe County, NE | 46 km west | 146 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Montgomery County, IA | 48 km northeast | 143 nights | 70 nights | 12°F |
Fremont County within IA
Fremont County ranks 87 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 926 ft, Fremont County sits 164 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 Sidney (1 mi SSE), IA, 4 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.