Will Pipes Freeze in Fulton County, IN? 50 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fulton County
In a normal year Fulton County, IN gets 50 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 64% 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 | 128 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 50 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 50 nights of risk to 20 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 04/23. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/21.
How cold Fulton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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, December: 20 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 20°F | 28°F | 39°F | 50°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 43°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Fulton County next to its neighbours
Marshall County, IN, 31 km north, gets 54 nights below 20°F to Fulton County's 50 nights. Cass County, IN, 34 km south, gets 48 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, IN | - | 128 nights | 50 nights | 17°F |
| Marshall County, IN | 31 km north | 132 nights | 54 nights | 17°F |
| Cass County, IN | 34 km south | 125 nights | 48 nights | 18°F |
| Pulaski County, IN | 36 km west | 133 nights | 55 nights | 16°F |
| Miami County, IN | 36 km southeast | 130 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 40 km northeast | 131 nights | 52 nights | 17°F |
| Starke County, IN | 41 km northwest | 137 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
Fulton County within IN
Fulton County ranks 28 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 761 ft, Fulton County sits close to 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 Rochester, 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.