Will Pipes Freeze in Pottawattamie County, IA? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Pottawattamie County
In a normal year Pottawattamie County, IA gets 73 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 78% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 36 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 36 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 10/14, last around 04/23. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/29.
How cold Pottawattamie County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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, November, December: 36 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 16°F | 27°F | 38°F | 50°F | 61°F | 65°F | 62°F | 53°F | 41°F | 28°F | 18°F |
Pottawattamie County next to its neighbours
Shelby County, IA, 42 km northeast, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Pottawattamie County's 73 nights. Mills County, IA, 35 km south, gets 69 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pottawattamie County, IA | - | 146 nights | 73 nights | 12°F |
| Mills County, IA | 35 km south | 144 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Shelby County, IA | 42 km northeast | 149 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Harrison County, IA | 45 km northwest | 154 nights | 81 nights | 10°F |
| Montgomery County, IA | 48 km southeast | 143 nights | 70 nights | 12°F |
| Cass County, IA | 51 km east | 152 nights | 79 nights | 10°F |
| Douglas County, NE | 51 km west | 134 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
Pottawattamie County within IA
Pottawattamie County ranks 61 of 99 IA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Osceola County, IA at 99 nights, with a 8°F average winter low. The fewest is Des Moines County, IA: 52 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 1,211 ft, Pottawattamie County sits 121 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,090 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 Oakland, IA, 14 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.