Will Pipes Freeze in Jones County, IA? 71 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Jones County
In a normal year Jones County, IA gets 71 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 77% 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 | 71 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 37 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 71 nights of risk to 37 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 10/13, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/15 to 03/22.
How cold Jones County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 37 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 26°F | 37°F | 48°F | 58°F | 62°F | 59°F | 50°F | 39°F | 27°F | 17°F |
Jones County next to its neighbours
Cedar County, IA, 39 km south, gets 74 nights below 20°F to Jones County's 71 nights. Linn County, IA, 40 km west, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jones County, IA | - | 151 nights | 71 nights | 11°F |
| Cedar County, IA | 39 km south | 150 nights | 74 nights | 12°F |
| Linn County, IA | 40 km west | 135 nights | 63 nights | 12°F |
| Dubuque County, IA | 42 km northeast | 144 nights | 70 nights | 11°F |
| Delaware County, IA | 44 km northwest | 158 nights | 82 nights | 8°F |
| Jackson County, IA | 45 km east | 150 nights | 73 nights | 11°F |
| Clinton County, IA | 54 km southeast | 141 nights | 66 nights | 13°F |
Jones County within IA
Jones County ranks 68 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 979 ft, Jones County sits 111 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.
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 Anamosa (3 mi SSW), IA, 16 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.