Will Pipes Freeze in Garfield County, CO? 127 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Garfield County
In a normal year Garfield County, CO gets 127 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 99% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 223 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 127 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 68 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 28 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 127 nights of risk to 68 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 Garfield County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, December, averages 9°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: 68 nights a year, and 28 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 10°F | 18°F | 24°F | 32°F | 41°F | 48°F | 46°F | 39°F | 28°F | 18°F | 9°F |
Garfield County next to its neighbours
Eagle County, CO, 104 km east, gets 141 nights below 20°F to Garfield County's 127 nights. Rio Blanco County, CO, 48 km northwest, gets 104 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield County, CO | - | 223 nights | 127 nights | 9°F |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 48 km northwest | 204 nights | 104 nights | 8°F |
| Mesa County, CO | 80 km southwest | 127 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Delta County, CO | 82 km south | 151 nights | 60 nights | 18°F |
| Pitkin County, CO | 95 km southeast | 213 nights | 119 nights | 9°F |
| Eagle County, CO | 104 km east | 247 nights | 141 nights | 6°F |
| Moffat County, CO | 115 km north | 211 nights | 118 nights | 5°F |
Garfield County within CO
Garfield County ranks 17 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 8,934 ft, Garfield County sits 2,054 ft above 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.
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 Bonham Rsvr, CO, 55 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.