Will Pipes Freeze in Winnebago County, IA? 89 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Winnebago County
In a normal year Winnebago County, IA gets 89 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 87% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 159 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 89 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 51 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 27 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 89 nights of risk to 51 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 10/07, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/02.
How cold Winnebago County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 51 nights a year, and 27 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 10°F | 23°F | 34°F | 47°F | 58°F | 62°F | 59°F | 50°F | 37°F | 24°F | 13°F |
Winnebago County next to its neighbours
Faribault County, MN, 37 km northwest, gets 91 nights below 20°F to Winnebago County's 89 nights. Cerro Gordo County, IA, 52 km southeast, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago County, IA | - | 159 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Hancock County, IA | 34 km south | 160 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Faribault County, MN | 37 km northwest | 159 nights | 91 nights | 6°F |
| Worth County, IA | 40 km east | 164 nights | 92 nights | 4°F |
| Kossuth County, IA | 42 km southwest | 161 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Freeborn County, MN | 46 km northeast | 160 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | 52 km southeast | 161 nights | 88 nights | 7°F |
Winnebago County within IA
Winnebago County ranks 9 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 1,248 ft, Winnebago County sits 158 ft above 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 Forest City (2 mi NNE), IA, 14 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.