Will Pipes Freeze in Dolores County, CO? 70 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Dolores County
In a normal year Dolores County, CO gets 70 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 77% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 70 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 70 nights of risk to 24 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 05/15. For 20°F: 11/09 to 03/30.
How cold Dolores County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 24 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 20°F | 27°F | 32°F | 40°F | 50°F | 56°F | 55°F | 48°F | 36°F | 26°F | 18°F |
Dolores County next to its neighbours
San Miguel County, CO, 31 km north, gets 111 nights below 20°F to Dolores County's 70 nights. Montezuma County, CO, 45 km south, gets 68 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores County, CO | - | 164 nights | 70 nights | 17°F |
| San Miguel County, CO | 31 km north | 210 nights | 111 nights | 7°F |
| Montezuma County, CO | 45 km south | 168 nights | 68 nights | 17°F |
| San Juan County, CO | 74 km east | 268 nights | 170 nights | -5°F |
| La Plata County, CO | 77 km southeast | 187 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| Montrose County, CO | 78 km north | 185 nights | 92 nights | 13°F |
| Ouray County, CO | 78 km northeast | 215 nights | 114 nights | 8°F |
Dolores County within CO
Dolores County ranks 55 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 7,989 ft, Dolores County sits 1,109 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.
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 Yellow Jacket (4 mi NE), CO, 24 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.