Will Pipes Freeze in Warren County, IA? 69 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Warren County
In a normal year Warren County, IA gets 69 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 76% 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 | 141 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 69 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 69 nights of risk to 34 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 10/12, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/09 to 03/26.
How cold Warren County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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: 34 nights a year, and 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 16°F | 28°F | 38°F | 50°F | 60°F | 64°F | 62°F | 53°F | 41°F | 28°F | 18°F |
Warren County next to its neighbours
Madison County, IA, 37 km west, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Warren County's 69 nights. Marion County, IA, 40 km east, gets 62 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County, IA | - | 141 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Madison County, IA | 37 km west | 145 nights | 73 nights | 10°F |
| Clarke County, IA | 38 km southwest | 148 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
| Lucas County, IA | 39 km southeast | 153 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Polk County, IA | 39 km north | 142 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Marion County, IA | 40 km east | 133 nights | 62 nights | 13°F |
| Dallas County, IA | 56 km northwest | 146 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
Warren County within IA
Warren County ranks 77 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 818 ft, Warren County sits 271 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 Indianola (2 mi W), IA, 8 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.