Will Pipes Freeze in Coconino County, AZ? 67 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Coconino County
In a normal year Coconino County, AZ gets 67 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 75% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 183 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 67 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 67 nights of risk to 19 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 10/03, last around 06/01. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/10.
How cold Coconino County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, December, averages 18°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: 19 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 21°F | 25°F | 30°F | 36°F | 45°F | 53°F | 52°F | 45°F | 35°F | 25°F | 18°F |
Coconino County next to its neighbours
Navajo County, AZ, 140 km east, gets 54 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coconino County, AZ | - | 183 nights | 67 nights | 20°F |
| Navajo County, AZ | 140 km east | 149 nights | 54 nights | 20°F |
| Yavapai County, AZ | 152 km southwest | 123 nights | 25 nights | 25°F |
| Kane County, UT | 161 km north | 151 nights | 56 nights | 19°F |
| Mohave County, AZ | 179 km west | 138 nights | 30 nights | 25°F |
| Apache County, AZ | 212 km east | 158 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Washington County, UT | 221 km northwest | 140 nights | 41 nights | 23°F |
Coconino County within AZ
Coconino County ranks 1 of 15 AZ counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Maricopa County, AZ: none, winter lows near 43°F. At 6,810 ft, Coconino County sits 2,739 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,072 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 Grand Canyon Np 2, AZ, 42 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.