Will Pipes Freeze in Colfax County, NM? 98 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Colfax County
In a normal year Colfax County, NM gets 98 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 91% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 185 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 98 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 98 nights of risk to 33 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 10/01, last around 05/17. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/12.
How cold Colfax County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, December, averages 13°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, 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: 33 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 15°F | 22°F | 30°F | 39°F | 48°F | 53°F | 52°F | 44°F | 32°F | 21°F | 13°F |
Colfax County next to its neighbours
Taos County, NM, 89 km west, gets 108 nights below 20°F to Colfax County's 98 nights. Mora County, NM, 74 km south, gets 85 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colfax County, NM | - | 185 nights | 98 nights | 13°F |
| Mora County, NM | 74 km south | 185 nights | 85 nights | 16°F |
| Taos County, NM | 89 km west | 203 nights | 108 nights | 9°F |
| Las Animas County, CO | 95 km northeast | 156 nights | 64 nights | 19°F |
| Costilla County, CO | 102 km northwest | 210 nights | 120 nights | 6°F |
| Union County, NM | 105 km east | 154 nights | 66 nights | 19°F |
| Harding County, NM | 110 km southeast | 135 nights | 46 nights | 21°F |
Colfax County within NM
Colfax County ranks 5 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 6,155 ft, Colfax County sits 551 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Maxwell (3 mi NW), NM, 7 km away (close 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.