Will Pipes Freeze in Douglas County, CO? 71 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Douglas County
In a normal year Douglas County, CO gets 71 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 December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 167 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 71 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 25 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 71 nights of risk to 25 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 10/02, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/09.
How cold Douglas County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, December, 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: 25 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 26°F | 32°F | 41°F | 50°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 35°F | 26°F | 18°F |
Douglas County next to its neighbours
Jefferson County, CO, 39 km northwest, gets 105 nights below 20°F to Douglas County's 71 nights. Denver County, CO, 49 km north, gets 61 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, CO | - | 167 nights | 71 nights | 18°F |
| Jefferson County, CO | 39 km northwest | 208 nights | 105 nights | 14°F |
| Denver County, CO | 49 km north | 156 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Teller County, CO | 55 km southwest | 207 nights | 107 nights | 13°F |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 62 km northeast | 169 nights | 75 nights | 16°F |
| El Paso County, CO | 65 km southeast | 164 nights | 74 nights | 17°F |
| Elbert County, CO | 70 km east | 182 nights | 93 nights | 14°F |
Douglas County within CO
Douglas County ranks 54 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 6,442 ft, Douglas County sits 438 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.
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 Castle Rock, CO, 10 km away (close 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.