Will Pipes Freeze in Bristol Bay Borough, AK? 104 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bristol Bay Borough
In a normal year Bristol Bay Borough, AK gets 104 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 93% 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 | 192 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 104 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 67 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 39 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 104 nights of risk to 67 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 09/15, last around 05/26. For 20°F: 10/14 to 04/16.
How cold Bristol Bay Borough nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, October, November, December: 67 nights a year, and 39 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 15°F | 15°F | 28°F | 36°F | 43°F | 49°F | 48°F | 41°F | 29°F | 18°F | 11°F |
Bristol Bay Borough next to its neighbours
Bethel Census Area, AK, 301 km northwest, gets 138 nights below 20°F to Bristol Bay Borough's 104 nights. Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK, 77 km southeast, gets 99 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Bay Borough, AK | - | 192 nights | 104 nights | 10°F |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK | 77 km southeast | 190 nights | 99 nights | 10°F |
| Kodiak Island Borough, AK | 213 km southeast | 150 nights | 36 nights | 24°F |
| Bethel Census Area, AK | 301 km northwest | 214 nights | 138 nights | 1°F |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK | 320 km northeast | 194 nights | 102 nights | 10°F |
| Aleutians East Borough, AK | 492 km southwest | 141 nights | 38 nights | 24°F |
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 508 km northeast | 203 nights | 104 nights | 12°F |
Bristol Bay Borough within AK
Bristol Bay Borough ranks 11 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK at 192 nights, with a -19°F average winter low. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 70 ft, Bristol Bay Borough sits 752 ft below the state's median county elevation of 822 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 2 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is King Salmon, AK, 22 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.