Will Pipes Freeze in Morgan County, OH? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Morgan County
In a normal year Morgan County, OH gets 44 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 59% 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 | 127 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 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 10/21, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/22.
How cold Morgan County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 23°F | 30°F | 39°F | 49°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 54°F | 42°F | 32°F | 26°F |
Morgan County next to its neighbours
Perry County, OH, 35 km west, gets 52 nights below 20°F to Morgan County's 44 nights. Athens County, OH, 36 km southwest, gets 43 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, OH | - | 127 nights | 44 nights | 20°F |
| Perry County, OH | 35 km west | 138 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Athens County, OH | 36 km southwest | 124 nights | 43 nights | 21°F |
| Washington County, OH | 37 km southeast | 112 nights | 34 nights | 23°F |
| Noble County, OH | 38 km northeast | 124 nights | 45 nights | 20°F |
| Muskingum County, OH | 39 km north | 116 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Wood County, WV | 55 km southeast | 106 nights | 31 nights | 24°F |
Morgan County within OH
Morgan County ranks 51 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 906 ft, Morgan 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.
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 Mc Connellsville Lake 7, OH, 3 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.