Will Pipes Freeze in Bannock County, ID? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bannock County
In a normal year Bannock County, ID gets 73 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 78% 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 | 177 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 30 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 30 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 09/24, last around 05/23. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/01.
How cold Bannock County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 30 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 18°F | 26°F | 32°F | 39°F | 46°F | 52°F | 51°F | 42°F | 33°F | 24°F | 17°F |
Bannock County next to its neighbours
Caribou County, ID, 57 km east, gets 111 nights below 20°F to Bannock County's 73 nights. Power County, ID, 50 km west, gets 56 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bannock County, ID | - | 177 nights | 73 nights | 15°F |
| Power County, ID | 50 km west | 151 nights | 56 nights | 18°F |
| Caribou County, ID | 57 km east | 222 nights | 111 nights | 10°F |
| Bingham County, ID | 60 km north | 164 nights | 66 nights | 17°F |
| Oneida County, ID | 61 km southwest | 181 nights | 76 nights | 15°F |
| Franklin County, ID | 67 km southeast | 173 nights | 73 nights | 15°F |
| Bear Lake County, ID | 87 km southeast | 213 nights | 109 nights | 7°F |
Bannock County within ID
Bannock County ranks 22 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 4,646 ft, Bannock County sits close to 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.
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 McCammon, ID, 5 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.