Will Pipes Freeze in Bonner County, ID? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bonner County
In a normal year Bonner County, ID gets 42 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 58% 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 | 172 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 13 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 09/28, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/11.
How cold Bonner County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, December, averages 23°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: 13 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23°F | 23°F | 28°F | 33°F | 41°F | 46°F | 50°F | 48°F | 41°F | 33°F | 28°F | 23°F |
Bonner County next to its neighbours
Boundary County, ID, 50 km north, gets 57 nights below 20°F to Bonner County's 42 nights. Kootenai County, ID, 72 km south, gets 29 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonner County, ID | - | 172 nights | 42 nights | 23°F |
| Boundary County, ID | 50 km north | 175 nights | 57 nights | 20°F |
| Pend Oreille County, WA | 51 km northwest | 175 nights | 43 nights | 23°F |
| Kootenai County, ID | 72 km south | 139 nights | 29 nights | 25°F |
| Lincoln County, MT | 90 km east | 193 nights | 61 nights | 19°F |
| Stevens County, WA | 91 km west | 159 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Spokane County, WA | 97 km southwest | 135 nights | 31 nights | 25°F |
Bonner County within ID
Bonner County ranks 35 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 3,545 ft, Bonner County sits 1,101 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 Sandpoint Experiment Station, ID, 6 km away (fair 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.