Will Pipes Freeze in Shelby County, OH? 50 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Shelby County
In a normal year Shelby County, OH gets 50 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 64% 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 | 131 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 50 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 50 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 10/20, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/22 to 03/24.
How cold Shelby County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 21°F | 29°F | 38°F | 50°F | 59°F | 62°F | 60°F | 53°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Shelby County next to its neighbours
Logan County, OH, 38 km east, gets 51 nights below 20°F to Shelby County's 50 nights. Auglaize County, OH, 25 km north, gets 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, OH | - | 131 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Auglaize County, OH | 25 km north | 118 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Miami County, OH | 32 km south | 114 nights | 39 nights | 20°F |
| Logan County, OH | 38 km east | 127 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Darke County, OH | 42 km southwest | 126 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Mercer County, OH | 42 km northwest | 117 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
| Champaign County, OH | 43 km southeast | 121 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
Shelby County within OH
Shelby County ranks 22 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 1,030 ft, Shelby County sits 114 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.
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 Sidney (1 mi S), OH, 9 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.