Will Pipes Freeze in Carbon County, WY? 104 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Carbon County
In a normal year Carbon County, WY 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 May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 205 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 104 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 49 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 21 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 104 nights of risk to 49 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 06/01. For 20°F: 10/15 to 04/25.
How cold Carbon County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, December, averages 11°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, April, October, November, December: 49 nights a year, and 21 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 13°F | 21°F | 27°F | 35°F | 42°F | 49°F | 46°F | 39°F | 28°F | 19°F | 11°F |
Carbon County next to its neighbours
Albany County, WY, 101 km east, gets 112 nights below 20°F to Carbon County's 104 nights. Sweetwater County, WY, 161 km west, gets 95 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon County, WY | - | 205 nights | 104 nights | 11°F |
| Albany County, WY | 101 km east | 210 nights | 112 nights | 10°F |
| Jackson County, CO | 126 km southeast | 257 nights | 145 nights | 3°F |
| Routt County, CO | 136 km south | 213 nights | 116 nights | 6°F |
| Natrona County, WY | 142 km north | 195 nights | 104 nights | 11°F |
| Sweetwater County, WY | 161 km west | 192 nights | 95 nights | 13°F |
| Moffat County, CO | 162 km southwest | 211 nights | 118 nights | 5°F |
Carbon County within WY
Carbon County ranks 10 of 23 WY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sublette County, WY at 165 nights, with a 1°F average winter low. The fewest is Platte County, WY: 69 nights, winter lows near 16°F. At 6,623 ft, Carbon County sits 1,326 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,297 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 Rawlins Municipal Airport, WY, 25 km away (fair 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.