Will Pipes Freeze in Holmes County, OH? 55 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Holmes County
In a normal year Holmes County, OH gets 55 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 68% 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 | 140 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 55 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 21 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 55 nights of risk to 21 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 10/14, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/25.
How cold Holmes County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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, December: 21 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 27°F | 36°F | 47°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 51°F | 40°F | 31°F | 24°F |
Holmes County next to its neighbours
Knox County, OH, 45 km southwest, gets 59 nights below 20°F to Holmes County's 55 nights. Wayne County, OH, 30 km north, gets 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holmes County, OH | - | 140 nights | 55 nights | 18°F |
| Wayne County, OH | 30 km north | 127 nights | 44 nights | 18°F |
| Coshocton County, OH | 30 km south | 124 nights | 44 nights | 20°F |
| Tuscarawas County, OH | 41 km east | 128 nights | 47 nights | 20°F |
| Ashland County, OH | 42 km northwest | 136 nights | 53 nights | 18°F |
| Knox County, OH | 45 km southwest | 145 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Stark County, OH | 55 km northeast | 121 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
Holmes County within OH
Holmes County ranks 9 of 88 OH counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Williams County, OH at 61 nights, with a 19°F average winter low. The fewest is Scioto County, OH: 28 nights, winter lows near 24°F. At 817 ft, Holmes County sits 99 ft below the state's median county elevation of 916 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Millersburg, OH, 3 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.