Will Pipes Freeze in Hardin County, IA? 80 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hardin County
In a normal year Hardin County, IA gets 80 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 82% 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 | 155 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 80 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 44 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 21 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 80 nights of risk to 44 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 10/10, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/07 to 03/30.
How cold Hardin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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: 44 nights a year, and 21 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 12°F | 24°F | 35°F | 48°F | 59°F | 62°F | 60°F | 51°F | 38°F | 26°F | 15°F |
Hardin County next to its neighbours
Grundy County, IA, 37 km east, gets 81 nights below 20°F to Hardin County's 80 nights. Story County, IA, 43 km southwest, gets 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, IA | - | 155 nights | 80 nights | 8°F |
| Grundy County, IA | 37 km east | 154 nights | 81 nights | 9°F |
| Hamilton County, IA | 38 km west | 160 nights | 84 nights | 7°F |
| Franklin County, IA | 39 km north | 157 nights | 84 nights | 8°F |
| Story County, IA | 43 km southwest | 150 nights | 75 nights | 10°F |
| Marshall County, IA | 44 km southeast | 151 nights | 76 nights | 10°F |
| Butler County, IA | 54 km northeast | 150 nights | 78 nights | 8°F |
Hardin County within IA
Hardin County ranks 41 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 1,117 ft, Hardin County sits close to 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 Eldora, IA, 12 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.