Will Pipes Freeze in Tama County, IA? 77 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Tama County
In a normal year Tama County, IA gets 77 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 80% 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 | 152 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 77 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 40 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 77 nights of risk to 40 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 10/09, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/31.
How cold Tama County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 40 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 13°F | 25°F | 36°F | 48°F | 59°F | 62°F | 59°F | 51°F | 39°F | 27°F | 16°F |
Tama County next to its neighbours
Grundy County, IA, 42 km northwest, gets 81 nights below 20°F to Tama County's 77 nights. Marshall County, IA, 37 km west, gets 76 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tama County, IA | - | 152 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Marshall County, IA | 37 km west | 151 nights | 76 nights | 10°F |
| Benton County, IA | 39 km east | 146 nights | 72 nights | 9°F |
| Grundy County, IA | 42 km northwest | 154 nights | 81 nights | 9°F |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 43 km south | 155 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
| Black Hawk County, IA | 48 km north | 150 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Iowa County, IA | 58 km southeast | 151 nights | 74 nights | 10°F |
Tama County within IA
Tama County ranks 49 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 1,018 ft, Tama County sits 72 ft below 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 Toledo (3 mi N), IA, 6 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.