Will Pipes Freeze in Adams County, ID? 109 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Adams County
In a normal year Adams County, ID gets 109 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 95% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 230 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 109 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 52 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 22 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 109 nights of risk to 52 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.
How cold Adams County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°F overnight. 12 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, October, November, December: 52 nights a year, and 22 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 13°F | 21°F | 27°F | 34°F | 40°F | 45°F | 42°F | 35°F | 27°F | 20°F | 13°F |
Adams County next to its neighbours
Valley County, ID, 67 km east, gets 117 nights below 20°F to Adams County's 109 nights. Washington County, ID, 55 km southwest, gets 55 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, ID | - | 230 nights | 109 nights | 11°F |
| Washington County, ID | 55 km southwest | 154 nights | 55 nights | 18°F |
| Valley County, ID | 67 km east | 252 nights | 117 nights | 9°F |
| Gem County, ID | 91 km south | 157 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Wallowa County, OR | 98 km northwest | 190 nights | 65 nights | 19°F |
| Baker County, OR | 99 km west | 202 nights | 76 nights | 19°F |
| Payette County, ID | 100 km south | 138 nights | 35 nights | 23°F |
Adams County within ID
Adams County ranks 8 of 44 ID counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Custer County, ID at 145 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Nez Perce County, ID: 20 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 4,331 ft, Adams County sits 315 ft below the state's median county elevation of 4,646 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 New Meadows Ranger Station, ID, 17 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.