Will Pipes Freeze in Bernalillo County, NM? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bernalillo County
In a normal year Bernalillo County, NM gets 41 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 56% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 125 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 3 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 3 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 10/24, last around 04/18. For 20°F: 11/22 to 02/28.
How cold Bernalillo County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 24°F; the coldest month, December, averages 22°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, December: 3 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 26°F | 33°F | 40°F | 48°F | 56°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 41°F | 29°F | 22°F |
Bernalillo County next to its neighbours
Valencia County, NM, 39 km south, gets 63 nights below 20°F to Bernalillo County's 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County, NM | - | 125 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Valencia County, NM | 39 km south | 149 nights | 63 nights | 19°F |
| Sandoval County, NM | 73 km north | 173 nights | 72 nights | 17°F |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 82 km northeast | 158 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Torrance County, NM | 90 km southeast | 169 nights | 73 nights | 19°F |
| Los Alamos County, NM | 96 km north | 150 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Socorro County, NM | 121 km south | 128 nights | 44 nights | 22°F |
Bernalillo County within NM
Bernalillo County ranks 18 of 33 NM counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rio Arriba County, NM at 118 nights, with a 11°F average winter low. The fewest is Sierra County, NM: 6 nights, winter lows near 31°F. At 4,940 ft, Bernalillo County sits 664 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,604 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 Albuquerque Valley, NM, 4 km away (close 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.