Will Pipes Freeze in Garfield County, UT? 51 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Garfield County
In a normal year Garfield County, UT gets 51 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 65% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 149 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 51 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 11 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 51 nights of risk to 11 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 10/10, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 11/12 to 03/12.
How cold Garfield County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, December, averages 20°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, November, December: 11 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 24°F | 30°F | 35°F | 43°F | 52°F | 59°F | 57°F | 49°F | 38°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Garfield County next to its neighbours
Wayne County, UT, 62 km northeast, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Garfield County's 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield County, UT | - | 149 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Wayne County, UT | 62 km northeast | 138 nights | 58 nights | 18°F |
| Kane County, UT | 70 km southwest | 151 nights | 56 nights | 19°F |
| Piute County, UT | 82 km northwest | 207 nights | 108 nights | 12°F |
| Sevier County, UT | 107 km north | 214 nights | 108 nights | 12°F |
| Emery County, UT | 146 km northeast | 171 nights | 85 nights | 13°F |
| San Juan County, UT | 148 km east | 149 nights | 51 nights | 19°F |
Garfield County within UT
Garfield County ranks 24 of 29 UT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rich County, UT at 138 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Salt Lake County, UT: 22 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 6,007 ft, Garfield County sits 200 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,807 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 Escalante, UT, 15 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.