Will Pipes Freeze in Garfield County, MT? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Garfield County
In a normal year Garfield County, MT gets 102 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 93% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 192 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 102 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 58 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 31 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 102 nights of risk to 58 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 09/20, last around 05/18. For 20°F: 10/18 to 04/14.
How cold Garfield County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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, October, November, December: 58 nights a year, and 31 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 9°F | 20°F | 30°F | 39°F | 49°F | 55°F | 53°F | 42°F | 30°F | 17°F | 8°F |
Garfield County next to its neighbours
Valley County, MT, 123 km north, gets 104 nights below 20°F to Garfield County's 102 nights. Petroleum County, MT, 94 km west, gets 89 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield County, MT | - | 192 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
| Petroleum County, MT | 94 km west | 176 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| McCone County, MT | 101 km northeast | 183 nights | 99 nights | 7°F |
| Treasure County, MT | 118 km south | 173 nights | 85 nights | 10°F |
| Valley County, MT | 123 km north | 179 nights | 104 nights | 5°F |
| Prairie County, MT | 124 km southeast | 188 nights | 105 nights | 6°F |
| Rosebud County, MT | 124 km south | 172 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
Garfield County within MT
Garfield County ranks 19 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 2,875 ft, Garfield County sits 1,048 ft below 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Jordan Airport, MT, 8 km away (close 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.