Will Pipes Freeze in Madison County, IN? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Madison County
In a normal year Madison County, IN gets 42 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 57% 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 | 115 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 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 42 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 10/23, last around 04/19. For 20°F: 11/29 to 03/15.
How cold Madison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 23°F | 32°F | 42°F | 53°F | 62°F | 65°F | 63°F | 55°F | 45°F | 34°F | 26°F |
Madison County next to its neighbours
Delaware County, IN, 28 km east, gets 46 nights below 20°F to Madison County's 42 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, IN | - | 115 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
| Delaware County, IN | 28 km east | 119 nights | 46 nights | 21°F |
| Hamilton County, IN | 28 km southwest | 122 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Tipton County, IN | 33 km northwest | 131 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Henry County, IN | 38 km southeast | 132 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Hancock County, IN | 38 km south | 119 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Grant County, IN | 39 km north | 126 nights | 48 nights | 18°F |
Madison County within IN
Madison County ranks 56 of 92 IN counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Steuben County, IN at 63 nights, with a 19°F average winter low. The fewest is Floyd County, IN: 19 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 876 ft, Madison County sits 116 ft above the state's median county elevation of 759 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Anderson Sewage Plt, IN, 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.