Will Pipes Freeze in Denver County, CO? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Denver County
In a normal year Denver County, CO gets 61 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 72% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 156 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 nights of risk to 19 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 05/04. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/29.
How cold Denver County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 19 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 27°F | 34°F | 43°F | 53°F | 59°F | 57°F | 48°F | 36°F | 26°F | 18°F |
Denver County next to its neighbours
Jefferson County, CO, 37 km southwest, gets 105 nights below 20°F to Denver County's 61 nights. Broomfield County, CO, 26 km northwest, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver County, CO | - | 156 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Broomfield County, CO | 26 km northwest | 150 nights | 58 nights | 19°F |
| Jefferson County, CO | 37 km southwest | 208 nights | 105 nights | 14°F |
| Adams County, CO | 49 km east | 168 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Douglas County, CO | 49 km south | 167 nights | 71 nights | 18°F |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 49 km east | 169 nights | 75 nights | 16°F |
| Gilpin County, CO | 56 km west | 235 nights | 126 nights | 13°F |
Denver County within CO
Denver County ranks 60 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 5,292 ft, Denver County sits 1,588 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 Denver-Stapleton, CO, 1 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.