Will Pipes Freeze in Castro County, TX? 43 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Castro County
In a normal year Castro County, TX gets 43 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 59% 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 | 130 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 43 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 7 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 43 nights of risk to 7 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 10/23, last around 04/22. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/14.
How cold Castro County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°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: 7 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 25°F | 31°F | 39°F | 49°F | 60°F | 63°F | 62°F | 55°F | 42°F | 31°F | 23°F |
Castro County next to its neighbours
Swisher County, TX, 47 km east, gets 36 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castro County, TX | - | 130 nights | 43 nights | 22°F |
| Swisher County, TX | 47 km east | 119 nights | 36 nights | 23°F |
| Parmer County, TX | 48 km west | 118 nights | 35 nights | 23°F |
| Lamb County, TX | 52 km south | 112 nights | 29 nights | 24°F |
| Deaf Smith County, TX | 55 km northwest | 120 nights | 36 nights | 22°F |
| Randall County, TX | 58 km northeast | 107 nights | 30 nights | 23°F |
| Hale County, TX | 65 km southeast | 102 nights | 26 nights | 25°F |
Castro County within TX
Castro County ranks 7 of 254 TX counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Lipscomb County, TX at 57 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Cameron County, TX: none, winter lows near 54°F. At 3,807 ft, Castro County sits 2,815 ft above the state's median county elevation of 992 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 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Dimmitt (2 mi N), TX, 8 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.