Will Pipes Freeze in Elbert County, CO? 93 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Elbert County
In a normal year Elbert County, CO gets 93 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 89% 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 | 182 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 93 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 93 nights of risk to 33 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 05/12. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/09.
How cold Elbert County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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: 33 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 16°F | 23°F | 30°F | 40°F | 50°F | 56°F | 54°F | 45°F | 33°F | 22°F | 14°F |
Elbert County next to its neighbours
Lincoln County, CO, 63 km southeast, gets 99 nights below 20°F to Elbert County's 93 nights. Arapahoe County, CO, 41 km northwest, gets 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elbert County, CO | - | 182 nights | 93 nights | 14°F |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 41 km northwest | 169 nights | 75 nights | 16°F |
| Lincoln County, CO | 63 km southeast | 185 nights | 99 nights | 13°F |
| Adams County, CO | 65 km north | 168 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| El Paso County, CO | 65 km southwest | 164 nights | 74 nights | 17°F |
| Douglas County, CO | 70 km west | 167 nights | 71 nights | 18°F |
| Denver County, CO | 82 km northwest | 156 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
Elbert County within CO
Elbert County ranks 33 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 5,998 ft, Elbert County sits 882 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Matheson (8 mi SE), CO, 31 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.