Will Pipes Freeze in Marion County, OH? 51 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marion County
In a normal year Marion County, OH gets 51 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 65% 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 | 51 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 51 nights of risk to 20 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 10/20, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/23.
How cold Marion County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 20 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 20°F | 28°F | 38°F | 50°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Marion County next to its neighbours
Morrow County, OH, 32 km east, gets 55 nights below 20°F to Marion County's 51 nights. Union County, OH, 37 km southwest, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, OH | - | 128 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Wyandot County, OH | 31 km northwest | 130 nights | 50 nights | 17°F |
| Morrow County, OH | 32 km east | 134 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Crawford County, OH | 36 km northeast | 129 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Union County, OH | 37 km southwest | 115 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Delaware County, OH | 37 km south | 112 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
| Hardin County, OH | 43 km west | 124 nights | 49 nights | 18°F |
Marion County within OH
Marion County ranks 18 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 919 ft, Marion County sits close to 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 Marion (2 mi N), OH, 4 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.