Will Pipes Freeze in Albany County, WY? 112 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Albany County
In a normal year Albany County, WY gets 112 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 96% 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 | 210 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 112 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 54 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 23 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 112 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 09/04, last around 06/07. For 20°F: 10/03 to 05/02.
How cold Albany County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, October, November, December: 54 nights a year, and 23 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 12°F | 19°F | 25°F | 34°F | 43°F | 49°F | 46°F | 38°F | 28°F | 19°F | 10°F |
Albany County next to its neighbours
Jackson County, CO, 122 km southwest, gets 145 nights below 20°F to Albany County's 112 nights. Platte County, WY, 82 km northeast, gets 69 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany County, WY | - | 210 nights | 112 nights | 10°F |
| Platte County, WY | 82 km northeast | 154 nights | 69 nights | 17°F |
| Laramie County, WY | 98 km southeast | 183 nights | 85 nights | 16°F |
| Carbon County, WY | 101 km west | 205 nights | 104 nights | 11°F |
| Larimer County, CO | 114 km south | 190 nights | 84 nights | 17°F |
| Jackson County, CO | 122 km southwest | 257 nights | 145 nights | 3°F |
| Goshen County, WY | 123 km northeast | 188 nights | 102 nights | 13°F |
Albany County within WY
Albany County ranks 5 of 23 WY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sublette County, WY at 165 nights, with a 1°F average winter low. The fewest is Platte County, WY: 69 nights, winter lows near 16°F. At 7,113 ft, Albany County sits 1,816 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,297 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Laramie (2 mi NW), WY, 38 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.