Will Pipes Freeze in Winneshiek County, IA? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Winneshiek County
In a normal year Winneshiek County, IA gets 85 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 85% 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 | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 46 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 24 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 nights of risk to 46 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 05/03. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/31.
How cold Winneshiek County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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: 46 nights a year, and 24 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 12°F | 24°F | 36°F | 47°F | 58°F | 62°F | 59°F | 51°F | 39°F | 27°F | 16°F |
Winneshiek County next to its neighbours
Howard County, IA, 39 km west, gets 93 nights below 20°F to Winneshiek County's 85 nights. Chickasaw County, IA, 46 km southwest, gets 84 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winneshiek County, IA | - | 159 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Allamakee County, IA | 38 km east | 158 nights | 85 nights | 8°F |
| Howard County, IA | 39 km west | 166 nights | 93 nights | 6°F |
| Chickasaw County, IA | 46 km southwest | 158 nights | 84 nights | 6°F |
| Fillmore County, MN | 47 km northwest | 167 nights | 93 nights | 4°F |
| Fayette County, IA | 48 km south | 164 nights | 88 nights | 6°F |
| Houston County, MN | 50 km northeast | 160 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
Winneshiek County within IA
Winneshiek County ranks 20 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 1,113 ft, Winneshiek County sits close to 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 Decorah, 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.