Will Pipes Freeze in Marion County, WV? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marion County
In a normal year Marion County, WV gets 41 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 | 122 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 13 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 10/28, last around 04/18. For 20°F: 12/01 to 03/14.
How cold Marion County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 24°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°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: 13 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 24°F | 30°F | 40°F | 50°F | 58°F | 62°F | 61°F | 54°F | 42°F | 33°F | 27°F |
Marion County next to its neighbours
Wetzel County, WV, 35 km west, gets 52 nights below 20°F to Marion County's 41 nights. Monongalia County, WV, 21 km northeast, gets 31 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, WV | - | 122 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Monongalia County, WV | 21 km northeast | 106 nights | 31 nights | 23°F |
| Taylor County, WV | 26 km southeast | 123 nights | 40 nights | 22°F |
| Harrison County, WV | 28 km southwest | 115 nights | 35 nights | 23°F |
| Wetzel County, WV | 35 km west | 142 nights | 52 nights | 19°F |
| Greene County, PA | 38 km north | 137 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Barbour County, WV | 46 km southeast | 141 nights | 53 nights | 20°F |
Marion County within WV
Marion County ranks 27 of 55 WV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Tucker County, WV at 70 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Mingo County, WV: 25 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,234 ft, Marion County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 1,213 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 Fairmont, WV, 11 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.