Will Pipes Freeze in Cibola County, NM? 91 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cibola County
In a normal year Cibola County, NM gets 91 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 88% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 193 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 91 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 91 nights of risk to 29 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 09/27, last around 06/03. For 20°F: 10/25 to 04/21.
How cold Cibola County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, December, averages 14°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 29 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 18°F | 23°F | 29°F | 37°F | 45°F | 53°F | 52°F | 44°F | 32°F | 21°F | 14°F |
Cibola County next to its neighbours
McKinley County, NM, 77 km north, gets 109 nights below 20°F to Cibola County's 91 nights. Valencia County, NM, 111 km east, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County, NM | - | 193 nights | 91 nights | 14°F |
| McKinley County, NM | 77 km north | 206 nights | 109 nights | 13°F |
| Valencia County, NM | 111 km east | 149 nights | 63 nights | 19°F |
| Catron County, NM | 120 km south | 217 nights | 111 nights | 14°F |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 121 km east | 125 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Sandoval County, NM | 131 km northeast | 173 nights | 72 nights | 17°F |
| Socorro County, NM | 142 km southeast | 128 nights | 44 nights | 22°F |
Cibola County within NM
Cibola County ranks 7 of 33 NM counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rio Arriba County, NM at 118 nights, with a 11°F average winter low. The fewest is Sierra County, NM: 6 nights, winter lows near 31°F. At 7,114 ft, Cibola County sits 1,510 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,604 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 El Morro Natl Mon, NM, 35 km away (fair 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.