Will Pipes Freeze in Worth County, IA? 92 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Worth County
In a normal year Worth County, IA gets 92 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 88% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 92 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 54 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 29 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 92 nights of risk to 54 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 10/04, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/04.
How cold Worth County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 4°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: 54 nights a year, and 29 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4°F | 9°F | 21°F | 33°F | 45°F | 56°F | 60°F | 57°F | 48°F | 36°F | 23°F | 12°F |
Worth County next to its neighbours
Mower County, MN, 51 km northeast, gets 94 nights below 20°F to Worth County's 92 nights. Cerro Gordo County, IA, 33 km south, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worth County, IA | - | 164 nights | 92 nights | 4°F |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | 33 km south | 161 nights | 88 nights | 7°F |
| Freeborn County, MN | 34 km north | 160 nights | 90 nights | 6°F |
| Mitchell County, IA | 38 km east | 157 nights | 86 nights | 6°F |
| Winnebago County, IA | 40 km west | 159 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Mower County, MN | 51 km northeast | 167 nights | 94 nights | 5°F |
| Floyd County, IA | 52 km southeast | 154 nights | 81 nights | 8°F |
Worth County within IA
Worth County ranks 4 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 1,220 ft, Worth County sits 130 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.
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 Northwood, 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.