Will Pipes Freeze in Denali Borough, AK? 172 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Denali Borough
In a normal year Denali Borough, AK gets 172 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 100% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 242 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 172 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 123 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 84 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 172 nights of risk to 123 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 09/08, last around 05/25. For 20°F: 10/06 to 04/24.
How cold Denali Borough nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: -3°F; the coldest month, January, averages -6°F overnight. 12 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, September, October, November, December: 123 nights a year, and 84 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -6°F | 1°F | 1°F | 18°F | 31°F | 42°F | 46°F | 42°F | 32°F | 17°F | 1°F | -5°F |
Denali Borough next to its neighbours
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK, 202 km north, gets 185 nights below 20°F to Denali Borough's 172 nights. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK, 160 km south, gets 133 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denali Borough, AK | - | 242 nights | 172 nights | -6°F |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 160 km south | 221 nights | 133 nights | 5°F |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | 202 km north | 242 nights | 185 nights | -19°F |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 203 km northeast | 226 nights | 169 nights | -11°F |
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 281 km south | 203 nights | 104 nights | 12°F |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK | 335 km east | 261 nights | 192 nights | -22°F |
| Copper River Census Area, AK | 360 km southeast | 251 nights | 180 nights | -11°F |
Denali Borough within AK
Denali Borough ranks 5 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK at 192 nights, with a -19°F average winter low. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 3,152 ft, Denali Borough sits 2,330 ft above the state's median county elevation of 822 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 Denali (27 mi N), AK, 49 km away (distant match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.