Will Pipes Freeze in Morrow County, OH? 55 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Morrow County
In a normal year Morrow County, OH gets 55 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 68% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 55 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 22 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 55 nights of risk to 22 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 04/26. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/24.
How cold Morrow County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 22 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 19°F | 27°F | 38°F | 48°F | 58°F | 60°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 31°F | 23°F |
Morrow County next to its neighbours
Knox County, OH, 35 km southeast, gets 59 nights below 20°F to Morrow County's 55 nights. Marion County, OH, 32 km west, gets 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morrow County, OH | - | 134 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Marion County, OH | 32 km west | 128 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Delaware County, OH | 33 km southwest | 112 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
| Knox County, OH | 35 km southeast | 145 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Richland County, OH | 35 km northeast | 129 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Crawford County, OH | 38 km north | 129 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Union County, OH | 55 km southwest | 115 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
Morrow County within OH
Morrow County ranks 6 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 1,180 ft, Morrow County sits 265 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.
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 Galion Wtr Wks, OH, 22 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.