Will Pipes Freeze in Hardy County, WV? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hardy County
In a normal year Hardy County, WV gets 54 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 67% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 138 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 16 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 16 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 10/12, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/31.
How cold Hardy County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 16 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 20°F | 27°F | 37°F | 47°F | 55°F | 58°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 30°F | 23°F |
Hardy County next to its neighbours
Shenandoah County, VA, 29 km southeast, gets 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardy County, WV | - | 138 nights | 54 nights | 19°F |
| Shenandoah County, VA | 29 km southeast | 131 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Grant County, WV | 32 km west | 139 nights | 50 nights | 21°F |
| Hampshire County, WV | 39 km northeast | 134 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Mineral County, WV | 45 km north | 128 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Page County, VA | 53 km southeast | 119 nights | 36 nights | 23°F |
| Frederick County, VA | 54 km northeast | 114 nights | 36 nights | 22°F |
Hardy County within WV
Hardy County ranks 4 of 55 WV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Tucker County, WV at 70 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Mingo County, WV: 25 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 2,065 ft, Hardy County sits 853 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,213 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 Lost Rvr, WV, 8 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.