Will Pipes Freeze in Madison County, OH? 48 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Madison County
In a normal year Madison County, OH gets 48 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 62% 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 | 128 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 48 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 48 nights of risk to 18 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 10/18, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/22.
How cold Madison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 18 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 29°F | 39°F | 50°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Madison County next to its neighbours
Franklin County, OH, 34 km east, gets 36 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, OH | - | 128 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Clark County, OH | 33 km west | 126 nights | 48 nights | 18°F |
| Franklin County, OH | 34 km east | 112 nights | 36 nights | 21°F |
| Fayette County, OH | 38 km south | 115 nights | 39 nights | 20°F |
| Pickaway County, OH | 41 km southeast | 112 nights | 38 nights | 22°F |
| Champaign County, OH | 41 km northwest | 121 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Union County, OH | 44 km north | 115 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
Madison County within OH
Madison County ranks 33 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 1,008 ft, Madison County sits 93 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.
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 London Fish Hatchery, OH, 9 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.