Will Pipes Freeze in Douglas County, WA? 45 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Douglas County
In a normal year Douglas County, WA gets 45 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 60% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to March, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 142 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 45 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 45 nights of risk to 13 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 10/01, last around 05/14. For 20°F: 11/01 to 03/21.
How cold Douglas County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, December, averages 19°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, November, December: 13 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 28°F | 35°F | 43°F | 49°F | 55°F | 55°F | 47°F | 36°F | 27°F | 19°F |
Douglas County next to its neighbours
Chelan County, WA, 70 km west, gets 60 nights below 20°F to Douglas County's 45 nights. Grant County, WA, 61 km south, gets 29 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, WA | - | 142 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Grant County, WA | 61 km south | 125 nights | 29 nights | 24°F |
| Chelan County, WA | 70 km west | 185 nights | 60 nights | 18°F |
| Okanogan County, WA | 90 km north | 166 nights | 57 nights | 18°F |
| Lincoln County, WA | 97 km east | 169 nights | 46 nights | 21°F |
| Kittitas County, WA | 101 km southwest | 148 nights | 35 nights | 23°F |
| Ferry County, WA | 119 km northeast | 175 nights | 62 nights | 18°F |
Douglas County within WA
Douglas County ranks 6 of 39 WA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Ferry County, WA at 62 nights, with a 18°F average winter low. The fewest is Island County, WA: 1 night, winter lows near 37°F. At 2,317 ft, Douglas County sits 697 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,620 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 Waterville, WA, 31 km away (fair 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.