Will Pipes Freeze in Bingham County, ID? 66 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bingham County
In a normal year Bingham County, ID gets 66 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 74% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 66 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 66 nights of risk to 24 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 10/03, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/16.
How cold Bingham County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 24 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 20°F | 29°F | 34°F | 42°F | 49°F | 56°F | 54°F | 46°F | 35°F | 25°F | 17°F |
Bingham County next to its neighbours
Bannock County, ID, 60 km south, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Bingham County's 66 nights. Power County, ID, 68 km southwest, gets 56 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bingham County, ID | - | 164 nights | 66 nights | 17°F |
| Bannock County, ID | 60 km south | 177 nights | 73 nights | 15°F |
| Jefferson County, ID | 65 km north | 199 nights | 107 nights | 8°F |
| Bonneville County, ID | 66 km east | 196 nights | 91 nights | 14°F |
| Power County, ID | 68 km southwest | 151 nights | 56 nights | 18°F |
| Butte County, ID | 82 km northwest | 189 nights | 100 nights | 9°F |
| Caribou County, ID | 84 km southeast | 222 nights | 111 nights | 10°F |
Bingham County within ID
Bingham County ranks 23 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 4,479 ft, Bingham County sits 168 ft below 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 Blackfoot Fire Dept, ID, 5 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.