Will Pipes Freeze in Dallam County, TX? 51 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Dallam County
In a normal year Dallam County, TX gets 51 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 65% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 138 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 51 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 10 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 51 nights of risk to 10 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 10/20, last around 04/28. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/25.
How cold Dallam County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 10 nights a year, and 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 23°F | 30°F | 38°F | 48°F | 59°F | 63°F | 62°F | 54°F | 41°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Dallam County next to its neighbours
Hartley County, TX, 50 km south, gets 54 nights below 20°F to Dallam County's 51 nights. Cimarron County, OK, 52 km north, gets 49 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallam County, TX | - | 138 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Hartley County, TX | 50 km south | 141 nights | 54 nights | 20°F |
| Cimarron County, OK | 52 km north | 136 nights | 49 nights | 20°F |
| Sherman County, TX | 62 km east | 132 nights | 45 nights | 21°F |
| Moore County, TX | 81 km southeast | 123 nights | 37 nights | 22°F |
| Union County, NM | 82 km west | 154 nights | 66 nights | 19°F |
| Oldham County, TX | 98 km south | 123 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
Dallam County within TX
Dallam County ranks 3 of 254 TX counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Lipscomb County, TX at 57 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Cameron County, TX: none, winter lows near 54°F. At 4,180 ft, Dallam County sits 3,188 ft above the state's median county elevation of 992 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 Dalhart, TX, 26 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.