Will Pipes Freeze in Archuleta County, CO? 107 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Archuleta County
In a normal year Archuleta County, CO gets 107 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 94% 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 | 208 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 107 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 48 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 107 nights of risk to 48 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 09/22, last around 06/09. For 20°F: 10/20 to 04/20.
How cold Archuleta County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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, November, December: 48 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 14°F | 22°F | 28°F | 35°F | 42°F | 50°F | 49°F | 42°F | 31°F | 21°F | 13°F |
Archuleta County next to its neighbours
Mineral County, CO, 39 km north, gets 169 nights below 20°F to Archuleta County's 107 nights. La Plata County, CO, 70 km west, gets 85 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archuleta County, CO | - | 208 nights | 107 nights | 9°F |
| Mineral County, CO | 39 km north | 265 nights | 169 nights | -1°F |
| Rio Grande County, CO | 62 km northeast | 237 nights | 151 nights | -1°F |
| La Plata County, CO | 70 km west | 187 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 74 km northwest | 263 nights | 167 nights | -2°F |
| Conejos County, CO | 77 km east | 218 nights | 141 nights | 1°F |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 83 km southeast | 217 nights | 118 nights | 9°F |
Archuleta County within CO
Archuleta County ranks 27 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 7,257 ft, Archuleta County sits 377 ft above 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.
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 Dulce, NM, 30 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.