Will Pipes Freeze in Hamilton County, IN? 47 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hamilton County
In a normal year Hamilton County, IN gets 47 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 62% 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 | 122 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 47 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 47 nights of risk to 18 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 04/21. For 20°F: 11/24 to 03/17.
How cold Hamilton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 18 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 30°F | 41°F | 51°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 55°F | 43°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Hamilton County next to its neighbours
Tipton County, IN, 29 km north, gets 51 nights below 20°F to Hamilton County's 47 nights. Madison County, IN, 28 km northeast, gets 42 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, IN | - | 122 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Madison County, IN | 28 km northeast | 115 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
| Tipton County, IN | 29 km north | 131 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Marion County, IN | 32 km south | 114 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
| Hancock County, IN | 33 km southeast | 119 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Boone County, IN | 38 km west | 118 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
| Clinton County, IN | 48 km northwest | 119 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
Hamilton County within IN
Hamilton County ranks 38 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 786 ft, Hamilton 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 Carmel (3 mi E), IN, 11 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.