Will Pipes Freeze in Gilpin County, CO? 126 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Gilpin County
In a normal year Gilpin County, CO gets 126 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 September to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 235 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 126 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 58 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 126 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 09/02, last around 06/21. For 20°F: 10/05 to 05/08.
How cold Gilpin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, February, averages 12°F overnight. 11 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 58 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 12°F | 17°F | 23°F | 30°F | 38°F | 44°F | 43°F | 36°F | 28°F | 19°F | 12°F |
Gilpin County next to its neighbours
Clear Creek County, CO, 23 km southwest, gets 136 nights below 20°F to Gilpin County's 126 nights. Boulder County, CO, 28 km northeast, gets 86 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilpin County, CO | - | 235 nights | 126 nights | 13°F |
| Clear Creek County, CO | 23 km southwest | 234 nights | 136 nights | 12°F |
| Boulder County, CO | 28 km northeast | 200 nights | 86 nights | 16°F |
| Jefferson County, CO | 40 km southeast | 208 nights | 105 nights | 14°F |
| Broomfield County, CO | 42 km east | 150 nights | 58 nights | 19°F |
| Denver County, CO | 56 km east | 156 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Grand County, CO | 57 km northwest | 265 nights | 154 nights | 2°F |
Gilpin County within CO
Gilpin County ranks 18 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 10,115 ft, Gilpin County sits 3,235 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.
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 Boulder (14 mi W), CO, 19 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.