Will Pipes Freeze in Franklin County, ID? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Franklin County
In a normal year Franklin County, ID gets 73 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 79% 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 | 173 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 31 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 31 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 09/28, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 11/03 to 03/25.
How cold Franklin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 31 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 18°F | 27°F | 33°F | 40°F | 47°F | 54°F | 52°F | 43°F | 33°F | 24°F | 16°F |
Franklin County next to its neighbours
Bear Lake County, ID, 43 km east, gets 109 nights below 20°F to Franklin County's 73 nights. Cache County, UT, 49 km south, gets 64 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, ID | - | 173 nights | 73 nights | 15°F |
| Bear Lake County, ID | 43 km east | 213 nights | 109 nights | 7°F |
| Cache County, UT | 49 km south | 155 nights | 64 nights | 16°F |
| Oneida County, ID | 57 km west | 181 nights | 76 nights | 15°F |
| Bannock County, ID | 67 km northwest | 177 nights | 73 nights | 15°F |
| Caribou County, ID | 72 km north | 222 nights | 111 nights | 10°F |
| Rich County, UT | 78 km southeast | 239 nights | 138 nights | 4°F |
Franklin County within ID
Franklin County ranks 21 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 4,571 ft, Franklin County sits 76 ft below 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.
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 Preston, ID, 10 km away (close 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.