Will Pipes Freeze in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK? 169 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fairbanks North Star Borough
In a normal year Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK gets 169 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 100% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 226 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 169 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 133 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 93 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 169 nights of risk to 133 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 09/17, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 10/10 to 04/21.
How cold Fairbanks North Star Borough nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: -7°F; the coldest month, January, averages -11°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, April, October, November, December: 133 nights a year, and 93 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -11°F | -4°F | 2°F | 22°F | 37°F | 47°F | 51°F | 45°F | 35°F | 19°F | 0°F | -8°F |
Fairbanks North Star Borough next to its neighbours
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK, 182 km southeast, gets 192 nights below 20°F to Fairbanks North Star Borough's 169 nights. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK, 306 km southwest, gets 133 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | - | 226 nights | 169 nights | -11°F |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK | 182 km southeast | 261 nights | 192 nights | -22°F |
| Denali Borough, AK | 203 km southwest | 242 nights | 172 nights | -6°F |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | 251 km west | 242 nights | 185 nights | -19°F |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 306 km southwest | 221 nights | 133 nights | 5°F |
| Copper River Census Area, AK | 320 km southeast | 251 nights | 180 nights | -11°F |
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 413 km south | 203 nights | 104 nights | 12°F |
Fairbanks North Star Borough within AK
Fairbanks North Star Borough ranks 6 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK at 192 nights, with a -19°F average winter low. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 2,072 ft, Fairbanks North Star Borough sits 1,250 ft above the state's median county elevation of 822 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 Fort Knox Mine, AK, 55 km away (distant 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.