Will Pipes Freeze in Adams County, CO? 76 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Adams County
In a normal year Adams County, CO gets 76 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 80% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 168 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 76 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 76 nights of risk to 28 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 10/02, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/10.
How cold Adams County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, December, averages 16°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: 28 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 17°F | 26°F | 33°F | 42°F | 52°F | 58°F | 57°F | 48°F | 35°F | 24°F | 16°F |
Adams County next to its neighbours
Morgan County, CO, 62 km northeast, gets 86 nights below 20°F to Adams County's 76 nights. Arapahoe County, CO, 26 km south, gets 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, CO | - | 168 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 26 km south | 169 nights | 75 nights | 16°F |
| Denver County, CO | 49 km west | 156 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Morgan County, CO | 62 km northeast | 171 nights | 86 nights | 13°F |
| Broomfield County, CO | 62 km west | 150 nights | 58 nights | 19°F |
| Elbert County, CO | 65 km south | 182 nights | 93 nights | 14°F |
| Weld County, CO | 76 km north | 180 nights | 93 nights | 11°F |
Adams County within CO
Adams County ranks 46 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 5,182 ft, Adams County sits 1,698 ft below the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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 Byers (5 mi ENE), CO, 23 km away (fair 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.