Will Pipes Freeze in Union County, OH? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Union County
In a normal year Union County, OH gets 41 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 56% 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 | 115 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 14 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 10/26, last around 04/19. For 20°F: 11/29 to 03/17.
How cold Union County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 14 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 23°F | 31°F | 41°F | 52°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 55°F | 44°F | 34°F | 26°F |
Union County next to its neighbours
Logan County, OH, 35 km west, gets 51 nights below 20°F to Union County's 41 nights. Delaware County, OH, 31 km east, gets 38 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, OH | - | 115 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Delaware County, OH | 31 km east | 112 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
| Logan County, OH | 35 km west | 127 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Marion County, OH | 37 km northeast | 128 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Champaign County, OH | 39 km southwest | 121 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Madison County, OH | 44 km south | 128 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Franklin County, OH | 47 km southeast | 112 nights | 36 nights | 21°F |
Union County within OH
Union County ranks 63 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 1,037 ft, Union County sits 121 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 Marysville, OH, 14 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.