Will Pipes Freeze in Elmore County, ID? 106 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Elmore County
In a normal year Elmore County, ID gets 106 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 94% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 211 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 106 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 54 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 24 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 106 nights of risk to 54 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 09/06, last around 06/16. For 20°F: 10/11 to 04/11.
How cold Elmore County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°F overnight. 11 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, October, November, December: 54 nights a year, and 24 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 12°F | 21°F | 29°F | 36°F | 41°F | 48°F | 46°F | 38°F | 29°F | 20°F | 11°F |
Elmore County next to its neighbours
Camas County, ID, 58 km east, gets 126 nights below 20°F to Elmore County's 106 nights. Ada County, ID, 63 km west, gets 29 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmore County, ID | - | 211 nights | 106 nights | 10°F |
| Camas County, ID | 58 km east | 233 nights | 126 nights | 8°F |
| Ada County, ID | 63 km west | 117 nights | 29 nights | 26°F |
| Boise County, ID | 69 km north | 238 nights | 101 nights | 12°F |
| Gooding County, ID | 71 km southeast | 148 nights | 46 nights | 22°F |
| Canyon County, ID | 103 km west | 117 nights | 27 nights | 24°F |
| Gem County, ID | 105 km northwest | 157 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
Elmore County within ID
Elmore County ranks 11 of 44 ID counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Custer County, ID at 145 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Nez Perce County, ID: 20 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 5,586 ft, Elmore County sits 940 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,646 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 Hill City (1 mi W), ID, 34 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.