Will Pipes Freeze in Union County, IN? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Union County
In a normal year Union County, IN gets 44 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 59% 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 | 121 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 16 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 nights of risk to 16 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 04/24. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/20.
How cold Union County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 16 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 30°F | 40°F | 51°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 54°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Union County next to its neighbours
Fayette County, IN, 22 km west, gets 50 nights below 20°F to Union County's 44 nights. Franklin County, IN, 27 km southwest, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, IN | - | 121 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Fayette County, IN | 22 km west | 129 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Franklin County, IN | 27 km southwest | 120 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Preble County, OH | 27 km northeast | 126 nights | 46 nights | 17°F |
| Wayne County, IN | 28 km north | 125 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Butler County, OH | 37 km southeast | 115 nights | 40 nights | 21°F |
| Rush County, IN | 46 km west | 119 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
Union County within IN
Union County ranks 47 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 1,000 ft, Union County sits 240 ft above 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.
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 Richmond Wtr Wks, IN, 26 km away (fair 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.