Will Pipes Freeze in Deschutes County, OR? 68 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Deschutes County
In a normal year Deschutes County, OR gets 68 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 76% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 216 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 68 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 68 nights of risk to 18 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.
How cold Deschutes County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, December, averages 20°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, November, December: 18 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 22°F | 25°F | 26°F | 34°F | 39°F | 44°F | 43°F | 36°F | 29°F | 25°F | 20°F |
Deschutes County next to its neighbours
Crook County, OR, 74 km east, gets 60 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deschutes County, OR | - | 216 nights | 68 nights | 21°F |
| Crook County, OR | 74 km east | 186 nights | 60 nights | 23°F |
| Jefferson County, OR | 81 km north | 144 nights | 28 nights | 24°F |
| Linn County, OR | 122 km northwest | 65 nights | 3 nights | 34°F |
| Wheeler County, OR | 132 km northeast | 147 nights | 34 nights | 25°F |
| Lane County, OR | 134 km west | 46 nights | 2 nights | 35°F |
| Wasco County, OR | 139 km north | 130 nights | 19 nights | 26°F |
Deschutes County within OR
Deschutes County ranks 3 of 36 OR counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Baker County, OR at 76 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Lincoln County, OR: under 1 night, winter lows near 40°F. At 4,757 ft, Deschutes County sits 2,740 ft above the state's median county elevation of 2,017 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 Sunriver, OR, 15 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.