Will Pipes Freeze in Greenlee County, AZ? 50 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Greenlee County
In a normal year Greenlee County, AZ gets 50 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 64% 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 | 156 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 50 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 9 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 50 nights of risk to 9 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 10/18, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/07.
How cold Greenlee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, December, averages 21°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, November, December: 9 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 23°F | 27°F | 32°F | 39°F | 48°F | 56°F | 55°F | 48°F | 37°F | 27°F | 21°F |
Greenlee County next to its neighbours
Catron County, NM, 108 km northeast, gets 111 nights below 20°F to Greenlee County's 50 nights. Graham County, AZ, 68 km southwest, gets 9 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenlee County, AZ | - | 156 nights | 50 nights | 21°F |
| Graham County, AZ | 68 km southwest | 75 nights | 9 nights | 29°F |
| Grant County, NM | 98 km southeast | 117 nights | 24 nights | 28°F |
| Catron County, NM | 108 km northeast | 217 nights | 111 nights | 14°F |
| Hidalgo County, NM | 156 km south | 76 nights | 10 nights | 31°F |
| Gila County, AZ | 158 km northwest | 24 nights | under 1 night | 36°F |
| Cochise County, AZ | 163 km south | 73 nights | 7 nights | 30°F |
Greenlee County within AZ
Greenlee County ranks 4 of 15 AZ counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Coconino County, AZ at 67 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Maricopa County, AZ: none, winter lows near 43°F. At 5,555 ft, Greenlee County sits 1,484 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,072 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 Glenwood, NM, 35 km away (distant 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.