Will Pipes Freeze in Carbon County, UT? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Carbon County
In a normal year Carbon County, UT gets 52 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 66% 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 | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 12 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 nights of risk to 12 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 10/25, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/28 to 02/26.
How cold Carbon County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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: 12 nights a year, and 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 23°F | 30°F | 35°F | 44°F | 53°F | 59°F | 58°F | 50°F | 39°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Carbon County next to its neighbours
Duchesne County, UT, 70 km north, gets 102 nights below 20°F to Carbon County's 52 nights. Utah County, UT, 105 km northwest, gets 34 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon County, UT | - | 146 nights | 52 nights | 20°F |
| Duchesne County, UT | 70 km north | 187 nights | 102 nights | 8°F |
| Emery County, UT | 75 km south | 171 nights | 85 nights | 13°F |
| Wasatch County, UT | 88 km northwest | 217 nights | 117 nights | 13°F |
| Sanpete County, UT | 91 km west | 188 nights | 87 nights | 11°F |
| Uintah County, UT | 104 km northeast | 174 nights | 96 nights | 5°F |
| Utah County, UT | 105 km northwest | 114 nights | 34 nights | 22°F |
Carbon County within UT
Carbon County ranks 22 of 29 UT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rich County, UT at 138 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Salt Lake County, UT: 22 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 6,489 ft, Carbon County sits 681 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,807 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Sunnyside City, UT, 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.