Will Pipes Freeze in Hancock County, IN? 45 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hancock County
In a normal year Hancock County, IN gets 45 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 60% 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 | 119 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 45 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 45 nights of risk to 17 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 10/22, last around 04/19. For 20°F: 11/24 to 03/18.
How cold Hancock County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°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: 17 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 30°F | 41°F | 52°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 55°F | 43°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Hancock County next to its neighbours
Hamilton County, IN, 33 km northwest, gets 47 nights below 20°F to Hancock County's 45 nights. Marion County, IN, 31 km west, gets 42 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, IN | - | 119 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Marion County, IN | 31 km west | 114 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
| Shelby County, IN | 33 km south | 115 nights | 39 nights | 20°F |
| Hamilton County, IN | 33 km northwest | 122 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Henry County, IN | 34 km east | 132 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Rush County, IN | 34 km southeast | 119 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
| Madison County, IN | 38 km north | 115 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
Hancock County within IN
Hancock County ranks 44 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 911 ft, Hancock County sits 152 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 Greenfield, IN, 4 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.