Will Pipes Freeze in Chaffee County, CO? 156 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Chaffee County
In a normal year Chaffee County, CO gets 156 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 100% 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 | 256 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 156 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 96 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 50 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 156 nights of risk to 96 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 09/08, last around 06/20. For 20°F: 10/12 to 05/06.
How cold Chaffee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 2°F; the coldest month, January, averages 0°F overnight. 12 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, 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: 96 nights a year, and 50 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0°F | 2°F | 10°F | 19°F | 29°F | 35°F | 41°F | 40°F | 34°F | 25°F | 14°F | 3°F |
Chaffee County next to its neighbours
Gunnison County, CO, 66 km west, gets 166 nights below 20°F to Chaffee County's 156 nights. Park County, CO, 66 km northeast, gets 153 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaffee County, CO | - | 256 nights | 156 nights | 0°F |
| Lake County, CO | 53 km north | 259 nights | 156 nights | 4°F |
| Park County, CO | 66 km northeast | 248 nights | 153 nights | 1°F |
| Gunnison County, CO | 66 km west | 259 nights | 166 nights | -7°F |
| Pitkin County, CO | 76 km northwest | 213 nights | 119 nights | 9°F |
| Saguache County, CO | 78 km south | 233 nights | 144 nights | 3°F |
| Fremont County, CO | 82 km east | 183 nights | 92 nights | 13°F |
Chaffee County within CO
Chaffee County ranks 7 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 12,489 ft, Chaffee County sits 5,609 ft above the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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 Taylor Park, CO, 28 km away (distant 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.