Will Pipes Freeze in Licking County, OH? 45 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Licking County
In a normal year Licking County, OH 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 | 126 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 45 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 16 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 16 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 10/16, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/25.
How cold Licking County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 16 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 29°F | 39°F | 49°F | 59°F | 62°F | 60°F | 52°F | 41°F | 32°F | 25°F |
Licking County next to its neighbours
Knox County, OH, 35 km north, gets 59 nights below 20°F to Licking County's 45 nights. Fairfield County, OH, 40 km south, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licking County, OH | - | 126 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Knox County, OH | 35 km north | 145 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Fairfield County, OH | 40 km south | 118 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Perry County, OH | 44 km southeast | 138 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Franklin County, OH | 47 km west | 112 nights | 36 nights | 21°F |
| Muskingum County, OH | 48 km east | 116 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Delaware County, OH | 49 km northwest | 112 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
Licking County within OH
Licking County ranks 46 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 1,068 ft, Licking County sits 153 ft above 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.
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 Newark Wtr Wks, OH, 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.