Will Pipes Freeze in Cherokee County, SC? 18 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cherokee County
In a normal year Cherokee County, SC gets 18 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 35% 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 | 92 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 18 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 2 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | none |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 18 nights of risk to 2 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 10/24, last around 04/20. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/09.
How cold Cherokee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 28°F; the coldest month, January, averages 27°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: 2 nights a year, and none below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27°F | 29°F | 35°F | 43°F | 53°F | 62°F | 66°F | 65°F | 58°F | 46°F | 35°F | 29°F |
Cherokee County next to its neighbours
Rutherford County, NC, 48 km northwest, gets 19 nights below 20°F to Cherokee County's 18 nights. Cleveland County, NC, 32 km north, gets 16 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, SC | - | 92 nights | 18 nights | 27°F |
| Cleveland County, NC | 32 km north | 88 nights | 16 nights | 27°F |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 37 km west | 76 nights | 13 nights | 31°F |
| York County, SC | 40 km east | 68 nights | 9 nights | 30°F |
| Union County, SC | 40 km south | 70 nights | 10 nights | 30°F |
| Gaston County, NC | 48 km northeast | 61 nights | 7 nights | 32°F |
| Rutherford County, NC | 48 km northwest | 96 nights | 19 nights | 27°F |
Cherokee County within SC
Cherokee County ranks 1 of 46 SC counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Charleston County, SC: under 1 night, winter lows near 45°F. At 764 ft, Cherokee County sits 504 ft above the state's median county elevation of 260 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.
When to have the house ready: when freeze season starts.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Ninety Nine Island, SC, 11 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.