Will Pipes Freeze in Carter County, KY? 47 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Carter County
In a normal year Carter County, KY gets 47 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 62% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 47 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 47 nights of risk to 14 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 10/18, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/17 to 03/20.
How cold Carter County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°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: 14 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 23°F | 29°F | 38°F | 49°F | 58°F | 62°F | 60°F | 53°F | 40°F | 30°F | 26°F |
Carter County next to its neighbours
Elliott County, KY, 22 km south, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, KY | - | 134 nights | 47 nights | 21°F |
| Elliott County, KY | 22 km south | 118 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Greenup County, KY | 29 km north | 119 nights | 36 nights | 23°F |
| Boyd County, KY | 32 km east | 103 nights | 29 nights | 25°F |
| Rowan County, KY | 36 km west | 105 nights | 33 nights | 24°F |
| Lawrence County, KY | 37 km southeast | 123 nights | 37 nights | 23°F |
| Lewis County, KY | 38 km northwest | 118 nights | 37 nights | 23°F |
Carter County within KY
Carter County ranks 3 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 834 ft, Carter County sits close to 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 Olive Hill (5 mi NE), KY, 7 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.