Will Pipes Freeze in Arapahoe County, CO? 75 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Arapahoe County
In a normal year Arapahoe County, CO gets 75 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 | 169 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 75 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 27 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 75 nights of risk to 27 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 Arapahoe County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°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: 27 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 18°F | 26°F | 32°F | 42°F | 51°F | 58°F | 56°F | 48°F | 35°F | 24°F | 16°F |
Arapahoe County next to its neighbours
Adams County, CO, 26 km north, gets 76 nights below 20°F to Arapahoe County's 75 nights. Denver County, CO, 49 km west, gets 61 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arapahoe County, CO | - | 169 nights | 75 nights | 16°F |
| Adams County, CO | 26 km north | 168 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Elbert County, CO | 41 km southeast | 182 nights | 93 nights | 14°F |
| Denver County, CO | 49 km west | 156 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Douglas County, CO | 62 km southwest | 167 nights | 71 nights | 18°F |
| Broomfield County, CO | 70 km northwest | 150 nights | 58 nights | 19°F |
| Jefferson County, CO | 79 km west | 208 nights | 105 nights | 14°F |
Arapahoe County within CO
Arapahoe County ranks 47 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 5,585 ft, Arapahoe County sits 1,295 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.
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 Byers (5 mi ENE), CO, 21 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.