Will Pipes Freeze in Fergus County, MT? 88 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fergus County
In a normal year Fergus County, MT gets 88 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 86% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in February.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 184 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 88 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 44 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 23 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 88 nights of risk to 44 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 09/25, last around 05/19. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/11.
How cold Fergus County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 44 nights a year, and 23 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 14°F | 21°F | 28°F | 37°F | 45°F | 52°F | 51°F | 42°F | 32°F | 22°F | 15°F |
Fergus County next to its neighbours
Petroleum County, MT, 77 km east, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Fergus County's 88 nights. Golden Valley County, MT, 94 km south, gets 87 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fergus County, MT | - | 184 nights | 88 nights | 14°F |
| Petroleum County, MT | 77 km east | 176 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Judith Basin County, MT | 84 km west | 196 nights | 90 nights | 15°F |
| Wheatland County, MT | 94 km southwest | 191 nights | 90 nights | 13°F |
| Golden Valley County, MT | 94 km south | 181 nights | 87 nights | 14°F |
| Musselshell County, MT | 100 km southeast | 169 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Chouteau County, MT | 117 km northwest | 182 nights | 97 nights | 8°F |
Fergus County within MT
Fergus County ranks 37 of 56 MT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sheridan County, MT at 129 nights, with a 2°F average winter low. The fewest is Lake County, MT: 40 nights, winter lows near 22°F. At 5,959 ft, Fergus County sits 2,037 ft above the state's median county elevation of 3,922 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 Lewistown (11 mi ESE), MT, 24 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.