Will Pipes Freeze in Preble County, OH? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Preble County
In a normal year Preble 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 | 126 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 10/20, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/21.
How cold Preble 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: 17 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 19°F | 28°F | 38°F | 49°F | 59°F | 62°F | 60°F | 53°F | 41°F | 31°F | 23°F |
Preble County next to its neighbours
Wayne County, IN, 34 km northwest, gets 49 nights below 20°F to Preble County's 46 nights. Union County, IN, 27 km southwest, gets 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preble County, OH | - | 126 nights | 46 nights | 17°F |
| Union County, IN | 27 km southwest | 121 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Montgomery County, OH | 30 km east | 107 nights | 37 nights | 21°F |
| Wayne County, IN | 34 km northwest | 125 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Butler County, OH | 34 km south | 115 nights | 40 nights | 21°F |
| Darke County, OH | 44 km north | 126 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Fayette County, IN | 48 km west | 129 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
Preble County within OH
Preble County ranks 39 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 1,031 ft, Preble County sits 116 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 Eaton, OH, 1 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.