Will Pipes Freeze in Apache County, AZ? 57 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Apache County
In a normal year Apache County, AZ gets 57 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 70% 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 | 158 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 57 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 57 nights of risk to 13 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 10/08, last around 05/22. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/05.
How cold Apache County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, December, averages 19°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, November, December: 13 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 27°F | 32°F | 40°F | 48°F | 57°F | 56°F | 49°F | 37°F | 26°F | 19°F |
Apache County next to its neighbours
McKinley County, NM, 114 km east, gets 109 nights below 20°F to Apache County's 57 nights. Navajo County, AZ, 75 km west, gets 54 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache County, AZ | - | 158 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Navajo County, AZ | 75 km west | 149 nights | 54 nights | 20°F |
| McKinley County, NM | 114 km east | 206 nights | 109 nights | 13°F |
| Cibola County, NM | 145 km east | 193 nights | 91 nights | 14°F |
| San Juan County, NM | 163 km northeast | 141 nights | 48 nights | 20°F |
| Catron County, NM | 193 km southeast | 217 nights | 111 nights | 14°F |
| Coconino County, AZ | 212 km west | 183 nights | 67 nights | 20°F |
Apache County within AZ
Apache County ranks 2 of 15 AZ counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Coconino County, AZ at 67 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Maricopa County, AZ: none, winter lows near 43°F. At 6,143 ft, Apache County sits 2,072 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,072 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 Sanders, AZ, 24 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.