Will Pipes Freeze in Fremont County, CO? 92 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fremont County
In a normal year Fremont County, CO gets 92 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 88% 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 | 183 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 92 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 37 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 13 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 92 nights of risk to 37 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 10/07, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/02.
How cold Fremont County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 37 nights a year, and 13 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 16°F | 23°F | 29°F | 37°F | 46°F | 52°F | 50°F | 42°F | 31°F | 21°F | 14°F |
Fremont County next to its neighbours
Custer County, CO, 40 km south, gets 115 nights below 20°F to Fremont County's 92 nights. Pueblo County, CO, 88 km east, gets 76 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, CO | - | 183 nights | 92 nights | 13°F |
| Custer County, CO | 40 km south | 206 nights | 115 nights | 9°F |
| Teller County, CO | 51 km northeast | 207 nights | 107 nights | 13°F |
| Park County, CO | 78 km north | 248 nights | 153 nights | 1°F |
| Chaffee County, CO | 82 km west | 256 nights | 156 nights | 0°F |
| Saguache County, CO | 85 km southwest | 233 nights | 144 nights | 3°F |
| Pueblo County, CO | 88 km east | 158 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
Fremont County within CO
Fremont County ranks 36 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 6,794 ft, Fremont County sits 86 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.
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 Canon City, CO, 17 km away (distant 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.