Will Pipes Freeze in Gallatin County, MT? 123 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Gallatin County
In a normal year Gallatin County, MT gets 123 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 98% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 233 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 123 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 62 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 24 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 123 nights of risk to 62 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.
How cold Gallatin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, December, averages 10°F overnight. 12 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, 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: 62 nights a year, and 24 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 11°F | 19°F | 25°F | 33°F | 39°F | 44°F | 43°F | 36°F | 27°F | 18°F | 10°F |
Gallatin County next to its neighbours
Park County, MT, 49 km east, gets 77 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallatin County, MT | - | 233 nights | 123 nights | 11°F |
| Park County, MT | 49 km east | 172 nights | 77 nights | 17°F |
| Madison County, MT | 62 km west | 213 nights | 107 nights | 13°F |
| Broadwater County, MT | 94 km north | 174 nights | 83 nights | 14°F |
| Jefferson County, MT | 97 km northwest | 214 nights | 107 nights | 10°F |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | 100 km east | 153 nights | 63 nights | 20°F |
| Meagher County, MT | 120 km north | 204 nights | 95 nights | 13°F |
Gallatin County within MT
Gallatin County ranks 7 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 6,498 ft, Gallatin County sits 2,576 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.
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 Big Sky (2 mi WNW), MT, 30 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.