Will Pipes Freeze in Breckinridge County, KY? 40 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Breckinridge County
In a normal year Breckinridge County, KY gets 40 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 | 112 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 40 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 11 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 40 nights of risk to 11 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 10/16, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/15 to 03/20.
How cold Breckinridge County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 25°F; the coldest month, January, averages 23°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 11 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23°F | 25°F | 33°F | 42°F | 53°F | 61°F | 65°F | 63°F | 56°F | 44°F | 33°F | 28°F |
Breckinridge County next to its neighbours
Meade County, KY, 29 km northeast, gets 38 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breckinridge County, KY | - | 112 nights | 40 nights | 23°F |
| Meade County, KY | 29 km northeast | 111 nights | 38 nights | 23°F |
| Hancock County, KY | 32 km west | 80 nights | 20 nights | 26°F |
| Grayson County, KY | 36 km south | 111 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Perry County, IN | 38 km northwest | 83 nights | 21 nights | 26°F |
| Hardin County, KY | 42 km east | 99 nights | 30 nights | 24°F |
| Ohio County, KY | 49 km southwest | 94 nights | 28 nights | 24°F |
Breckinridge County within KY
Breckinridge County ranks 6 of 120 KY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Shelby County, KY at 55 nights, with a 22°F average winter low. The fewest is Lyon County, KY: 15 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 716 ft, Breckinridge County sits 81 ft below the state's median county elevation of 797 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 Corners, KY, 18 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.