Will Pipes Freeze in Bonneville County, ID? 91 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bonneville County
In a normal year Bonneville County, ID gets 91 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 88% 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 | 196 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 91 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 42 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 91 nights of risk to 42 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 09/11, last around 06/09. For 20°F: 10/13 to 04/20.
How cold Bonneville County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, December, averages 13°F overnight. 11 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, October, November, December: 42 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 15°F | 24°F | 29°F | 37°F | 43°F | 49°F | 48°F | 40°F | 30°F | 21°F | 13°F |
Bonneville County next to its neighbours
Teton County, ID, 52 km northeast, gets 106 nights below 20°F to Bonneville County's 91 nights. Madison County, ID, 44 km north, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville County, ID | - | 196 nights | 91 nights | 14°F |
| Madison County, ID | 44 km north | 186 nights | 88 nights | 12°F |
| Teton County, ID | 52 km northeast | 208 nights | 106 nights | 9°F |
| Bingham County, ID | 66 km west | 164 nights | 66 nights | 17°F |
| Caribou County, ID | 68 km south | 222 nights | 111 nights | 10°F |
| Jefferson County, ID | 72 km northwest | 199 nights | 107 nights | 8°F |
| Fremont County, ID | 92 km north | 231 nights | 121 nights | 8°F |
Bonneville County within ID
Bonneville County ranks 17 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 6,348 ft, Bonneville County sits 1,701 ft above 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Idaho Falls (16 mi SE), ID, 14 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.