Will Pipes Freeze in Goshen County, WY? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Goshen County
In a normal year Goshen County, WY 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 | 188 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 102 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 44 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 102 nights of risk to 44 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 09/22, last around 05/20. For 20°F: 10/18 to 04/14.
How cold Goshen County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, December, averages 12°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, April, October, November, December: 44 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 14°F | 22°F | 31°F | 40°F | 49°F | 55°F | 53°F | 43°F | 29°F | 19°F | 12°F |
Goshen County next to its neighbours
Sioux County, NE, 66 km northeast, gets 114 nights below 20°F to Goshen County's 102 nights. Platte County, WY, 50 km west, gets 69 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen County, WY | - | 188 nights | 102 nights | 13°F |
| Platte County, WY | 50 km west | 154 nights | 69 nights | 17°F |
| Scotts Bluff County, NE | 60 km southeast | 172 nights | 83 nights | 15°F |
| Sioux County, NE | 66 km northeast | 202 nights | 114 nights | 11°F |
| Banner County, NE | 80 km southeast | 183 nights | 88 nights | 15°F |
| Laramie County, WY | 92 km south | 183 nights | 85 nights | 16°F |
| Box Butte County, NE | 106 km east | 168 nights | 79 nights | 15°F |
Goshen County within WY
Goshen County ranks 13 of 23 WY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sublette County, WY at 165 nights, with a 1°F average winter low. The fewest is Platte County, WY: 69 nights, winter lows near 16°F. At 4,243 ft, Goshen County sits 1,053 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,297 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 Lingle (2 mi WSW), WY, 5 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.