Will Pipes Freeze in Cherokee County, OK? 19 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cherokee County
In a normal year Cherokee County, OK gets 19 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 36% of US counties.
Risk level: Regular. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 74 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 19 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 3 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 19 nights of risk to 3 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 10/31, last around 04/04. For 20°F: 12/03 to 02/28.
How cold Cherokee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 30°F; the coldest month, January, averages 28°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, December: 3 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28°F | 32°F | 40°F | 48°F | 57°F | 65°F | 69°F | 68°F | 61°F | 49°F | 39°F | 31°F |
Cherokee County next to its neighbours
Mayes County, OK, 49 km northwest, gets 24 nights below 20°F to Cherokee County's 19 nights. Wagoner County, OK, 47 km west, gets 17 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, OK | - | 74 nights | 19 nights | 28°F |
| Adair County, OK | 31 km east | 77 nights | 19 nights | 27°F |
| Wagoner County, OK | 47 km west | 73 nights | 17 nights | 28°F |
| Muskogee County, OK | 47 km southwest | 73 nights | 16 nights | 28°F |
| Mayes County, OK | 49 km northwest | 90 nights | 24 nights | 25°F |
| Sequoyah County, OK | 50 km southeast | 67 nights | 15 nights | 28°F |
| Delaware County, OK | 57 km north | 93 nights | 26 nights | 24°F |
Cherokee County within OK
Cherokee County ranks 39 of 77 OK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Beaver County, OK at 55 nights, with a 21°F average winter low. The fewest is Choctaw County, OK: 7 nights, winter lows near 34°F. At 843 ft, Cherokee County sits 166 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,009 ft.
What to do here
- Insulate every pipe in unheated space before the season starts.
- Heat tape on the runs you cannot insulate well.
- Shut off and drain outdoor spigots for the season.
Why 20°F is the line for a garage pipe: how cold before pipes freeze.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Tahlequah, OK, 5 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.