Will Pipes Freeze in Greene County, IA? 75 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Greene County
In a normal year Greene County, IA gets 75 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 79% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 149 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 75 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 38 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 75 nights of risk to 38 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 10/09, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/30.
How cold Greene County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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, November, December: 38 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 13°F | 25°F | 36°F | 49°F | 59°F | 63°F | 60°F | 51°F | 39°F | 26°F | 16°F |
Greene County next to its neighbours
Boone County, IA, 37 km east, gets 76 nights below 20°F to Greene County's 75 nights. Dallas County, IA, 49 km southeast, gets 72 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, IA | - | 149 nights | 75 nights | 9°F |
| Boone County, IA | 37 km east | 151 nights | 76 nights | 10°F |
| Carroll County, IA | 40 km west | 153 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
| Guthrie County, IA | 41 km south | 156 nights | 82 nights | 10°F |
| Calhoun County, IA | 44 km northwest | 154 nights | 82 nights | 8°F |
| Webster County, IA | 47 km north | 157 nights | 83 nights | 8°F |
| Dallas County, IA | 49 km southeast | 146 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
Greene County within IA
Greene County ranks 56 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 1,040 ft, Greene County sits 50 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 Jefferson, 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.