Will Pipes Freeze in Iowa County, IA? 74 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Iowa County
In a normal year Iowa County, IA gets 74 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 November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 74 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 74 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 04/28. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/29.
How cold Iowa County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 14°F | 26°F | 37°F | 49°F | 59°F | 63°F | 60°F | 51°F | 39°F | 27°F | 16°F |
Iowa County next to its neighbours
Poweshiek County, IA, 39 km west, gets 80 nights below 20°F to Iowa County's 74 nights. Johnson County, IA, 39 km east, gets 62 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa County, IA | - | 151 nights | 74 nights | 10°F |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 39 km west | 155 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
| Johnson County, IA | 39 km east | 134 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Keokuk County, IA | 40 km south | 142 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Benton County, IA | 45 km north | 146 nights | 72 nights | 9°F |
| Washington County, IA | 48 km southeast | 139 nights | 65 nights | 12°F |
| Linn County, IA | 58 km northeast | 135 nights | 63 nights | 12°F |
Iowa County within IA
Iowa County ranks 58 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 857 ft, Iowa County sits 232 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.
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 Williamsburg (1 mi E), IA, 6 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.