Will Pipes Freeze in Custer County, CO? 115 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Custer County
In a normal year Custer County, CO gets 115 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 97% 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 | 206 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 115 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 20 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 115 nights of risk to 55 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 09/09, last around 06/11. For 20°F: 10/06 to 05/03.
How cold Custer County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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: 55 nights a year, and 20 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 14°F | 21°F | 27°F | 35°F | 43°F | 47°F | 46°F | 39°F | 29°F | 18°F | 9°F |
Custer County next to its neighbours
Alamosa County, CO, 70 km southwest, gets 146 nights below 20°F to Custer County's 115 nights. Fremont County, CO, 40 km north, gets 92 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County, CO | - | 206 nights | 115 nights | 9°F |
| Fremont County, CO | 40 km north | 183 nights | 92 nights | 13°F |
| Huerfano County, CO | 59 km southeast | 142 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Alamosa County, CO | 70 km southwest | 222 nights | 146 nights | 0°F |
| Saguache County, CO | 76 km west | 233 nights | 144 nights | 3°F |
| Pueblo County, CO | 78 km east | 158 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Teller County, CO | 87 km north | 207 nights | 107 nights | 13°F |
Custer County within CO
Custer County ranks 23 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 8,670 ft, Custer County sits 1,790 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.
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 Westcliffe, CO, 9 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.