Will Pipes Freeze in Conejos County, CO? 141 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Conejos County
In a normal year Conejos County, CO gets 141 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 99% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 218 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 141 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 81 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 38 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 141 nights of risk to 81 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 09/21, last around 05/28. For 20°F: 10/15 to 04/23.
How cold Conejos County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 4°F; the coldest month, January, averages 1°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, April, October, November, December: 81 nights a year, and 38 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 8°F | 18°F | 25°F | 34°F | 41°F | 47°F | 45°F | 38°F | 26°F | 14°F | 3°F |
Conejos County next to its neighbours
Rio Grande County, CO, 39 km northwest, gets 151 nights below 20°F to Conejos County's 141 nights. Costilla County, CO, 67 km east, gets 120 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conejos County, CO | - | 218 nights | 141 nights | 1°F |
| Rio Grande County, CO | 39 km northwest | 237 nights | 151 nights | -1°F |
| Alamosa County, CO | 52 km northeast | 222 nights | 146 nights | 0°F |
| Costilla County, CO | 67 km east | 210 nights | 120 nights | 6°F |
| Archuleta County, CO | 77 km west | 208 nights | 107 nights | 9°F |
| Mineral County, CO | 82 km northwest | 265 nights | 169 nights | -1°F |
| Taos County, NM | 85 km southeast | 203 nights | 108 nights | 9°F |
Conejos County within CO
Conejos County ranks 14 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 8,357 ft, Conejos County sits 1,477 ft above the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Manassa, CO, 22 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.