Will Pipes Freeze in Washington County, IA? 65 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washington County
In a normal year Washington County, IA gets 65 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 74% 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 | 139 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 65 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 32 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 13 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 65 nights of risk to 32 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 10/11, last around 04/28. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/28.
How cold Washington 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: 32 nights a year, and 13 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 15°F | 27°F | 38°F | 50°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 40°F | 28°F | 18°F |
Washington County next to its neighbours
Keokuk County, IA, 37 km west, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Washington County's 65 nights. Johnson County, IA, 40 km north, gets 62 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, IA | - | 139 nights | 65 nights | 12°F |
| Keokuk County, IA | 37 km west | 142 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Johnson County, IA | 40 km north | 134 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Louisa County, IA | 41 km east | 131 nights | 57 nights | 12°F |
| Henry County, IA | 41 km south | 130 nights | 58 nights | 13°F |
| Jefferson County, IA | 41 km southwest | 127 nights | 54 nights | 14°F |
| Iowa County, IA | 48 km northwest | 151 nights | 74 nights | 10°F |
Washington County within IA
Washington County ranks 83 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 763 ft, Washington County sits 326 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Washington, IA, 5 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.