Will Pipes Freeze in Madison County, IA? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Madison County
In a normal year Madison County, IA gets 73 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 78% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 145 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 35 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 35 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 10/03, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/02.
How cold Madison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 35 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 13°F | 25°F | 35°F | 48°F | 58°F | 62°F | 59°F | 51°F | 38°F | 26°F | 16°F |
Madison County next to its neighbours
Warren County, IA, 37 km east, gets 69 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, IA | - | 145 nights | 73 nights | 10°F |
| Warren County, IA | 37 km east | 141 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Clarke County, IA | 39 km southeast | 148 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
| Adair County, IA | 39 km west | 138 nights | 67 nights | 11°F |
| Union County, IA | 39 km southwest | 144 nights | 71 nights | 11°F |
| Dallas County, IA | 39 km north | 146 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
| Polk County, IA | 54 km northeast | 142 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
Madison County within IA
Madison County ranks 60 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 1,101 ft, Madison 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.
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 Winterset (1 mi S), IA, 2 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.