Will Pipes Freeze in Putnam County, IN? 48 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Putnam County
In a normal year Putnam County, IN 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 March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 124 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 48 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 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 18 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 10/15, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/15 to 03/24.
How cold Putnam 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: 18 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 20°F | 29°F | 39°F | 49°F | 58°F | 61°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 30°F | 22°F |
Putnam County next to its neighbours
Montgomery County, IN, 42 km north, gets 56 nights below 20°F to Putnam County's 48 nights. Hendricks County, IN, 32 km east, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, IN | - | 124 nights | 48 nights | 17°F |
| Hendricks County, IN | 32 km east | 115 nights | 41 nights | 19°F |
| Parke County, IN | 32 km west | 111 nights | 41 nights | 17°F |
| Clay County, IN | 38 km southwest | 112 nights | 33 nights | 20°F |
| Owen County, IN | 39 km south | 124 nights | 45 nights | 21°F |
| Morgan County, IN | 40 km southeast | 123 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Montgomery County, IN | 42 km north | 137 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
Putnam County within IN
Putnam County ranks 36 of 92 IN counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Steuben County, IN at 63 nights, with a 19°F average winter low. The fewest is Floyd County, IN: 19 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 681 ft, Putnam County sits 78 ft below the state's median county elevation of 759 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Greencastle (1 mi W), IN, 3 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.