Will Pipes Freeze in Crowley County, CO? 94 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Crowley County
In a normal year Crowley County, CO gets 94 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 89% 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 | 171 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 94 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 32 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 94 nights of risk to 32 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 10/08, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/01.
How cold Crowley County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, 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: 32 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 17°F | 25°F | 33°F | 45°F | 55°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 35°F | 22°F | 14°F |
Crowley County next to its neighbours
Lincoln County, CO, 80 km north, gets 99 nights below 20°F to Crowley County's 94 nights. Otero County, CO, 47 km south, gets 92 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crowley County, CO | - | 171 nights | 94 nights | 13°F |
| Otero County, CO | 47 km south | 171 nights | 92 nights | 14°F |
| Pueblo County, CO | 64 km west | 158 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Bent County, CO | 74 km southeast | 152 nights | 72 nights | 16°F |
| Lincoln County, CO | 80 km north | 185 nights | 99 nights | 13°F |
| El Paso County, CO | 88 km northwest | 164 nights | 74 nights | 17°F |
| Kiowa County, CO | 89 km east | 155 nights | 73 nights | 16°F |
Crowley County within CO
Crowley County ranks 32 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 4,564 ft, Crowley County sits 2,316 ft below 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.
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 Ordway (1 mi ENE), CO, 10 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.