Will Pipes Freeze in Coal County, OK? 16 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Coal County
In a normal year Coal County, OK gets 16 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 32% 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 | 72 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 16 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 16 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 11/04, last around 03/31. For 20°F: 12/09 to 02/21.
How cold Coal 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: 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 | 49°F | 58°F | 67°F | 71°F | 69°F | 62°F | 50°F | 39°F | 31°F |
Coal County next to its neighbours
Hughes County, OK, 52 km north, gets 16 nights below 20°F to Coal County's 16 nights. Atoka County, OK, 31 km southeast, gets 14 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal County, OK | - | 72 nights | 16 nights | 28°F |
| Atoka County, OK | 31 km southeast | 71 nights | 14 nights | 29°F |
| Pontotoc County, OK | 40 km northwest | 71 nights | 15 nights | 28°F |
| Johnston County, OK | 45 km southwest | 68 nights | 13 nights | 30°F |
| Hughes County, OK | 52 km north | 72 nights | 16 nights | 28°F |
| Pittsburg County, OK | 62 km northeast | 66 nights | 13 nights | 30°F |
| Bryan County, OK | 69 km south | 57 nights | 9 nights | 32°F |
Coal County within OK
Coal County ranks 57 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 704 ft, Coal County sits 304 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.
What insulating actually removes here, and when heat tape is needed: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Centrahoma (2 mi ESE), OK, 3 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.