Will Pipes Freeze in Ottawa County, OH? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Ottawa County
In a normal year Ottawa County, OH gets 46 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 61% 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 | 121 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 46 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 46 nights of risk to 17 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 10/23, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/27 to 03/22.
How cold Ottawa County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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: 17 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 22°F | 29°F | 40°F | 51°F | 61°F | 65°F | 63°F | 56°F | 45°F | 35°F | 26°F |
Ottawa County next to its neighbours
Sandusky County, OH, 24 km southwest, gets 49 nights below 20°F to Ottawa County's 46 nights. Erie County, OH, 39 km southeast, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OH | - | 121 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Sandusky County, OH | 24 km southwest | 129 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Erie County, OH | 39 km southeast | 113 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Lucas County, OH | 41 km west | 121 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Seneca County, OH | 48 km south | 123 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Wood County, OH | 55 km west | 127 nights | 50 nights | 19°F |
| Huron County, OH | 57 km southeast | 123 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
Ottawa County within OH
Ottawa County ranks 43 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 575 ft, Ottawa County sits 341 ft below 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 Fremont, OH, 25 km away (fair 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.