Will Pipes Freeze in Portage County, OH? 48 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Portage County
In a normal year Portage County, OH gets 48 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 63% 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 | 128 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 48 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 48 nights of risk to 19 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 10/29, last around 04/21. For 20°F: 12/01 to 03/21.
How cold Portage County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°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: 19 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 17°F | 25°F | 36°F | 47°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 51°F | 40°F | 31°F | 23°F |
Portage County next to its neighbours
Geauga County, OH, 37 km north, gets 55 nights below 20°F to Portage County's 48 nights. Trumbull County, OH, 39 km northeast, gets 47 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage County, OH | - | 128 nights | 48 nights | 17°F |
| Summit County, OH | 29 km west | 127 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Geauga County, OH | 37 km north | 138 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Trumbull County, OH | 39 km northeast | 133 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Mahoning County, OH | 40 km southeast | 138 nights | 55 nights | 18°F |
| Stark County, OH | 42 km south | 121 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 55 km northwest | 93 nights | 30 nights | 23°F |
Portage County within OH
Portage County ranks 30 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 1,091 ft, Portage County sits 176 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 Ravenna (2 mi S), OH, 8 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.