Will Pipes Freeze in Harney County, OR? 67 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Harney County
In a normal year Harney County, OR gets 67 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 75% 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 | 192 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 67 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 21 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 67 nights of risk to 21 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 09/18, last around 05/29. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/02.
How cold Harney County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, December, averages 19°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, November, December: 21 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 28°F | 30°F | 37°F | 42°F | 49°F | 46°F | 38°F | 30°F | 23°F | 19°F |
Harney County next to its neighbours
Malheur County, OR, 113 km east, gets 68 nights below 20°F to Harney County's 67 nights. Lake County, OR, 118 km west, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harney County, OR | - | 192 nights | 67 nights | 19°F |
| Malheur County, OR | 113 km east | 181 nights | 68 nights | 20°F |
| Lake County, OR | 118 km west | 170 nights | 58 nights | 22°F |
| Grant County, OR | 159 km north | 178 nights | 53 nights | 21°F |
| Crook County, OR | 165 km northwest | 186 nights | 60 nights | 23°F |
| Canyon County, ID | 194 km east | 117 nights | 27 nights | 24°F |
| Humboldt County, NV | 197 km south | 173 nights | 64 nights | 19°F |
Harney County within OR
Harney County ranks 5 of 36 OR counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Baker County, OR at 76 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Lincoln County, OR: under 1 night, winter lows near 40°F. At 4,811 ft, Harney County sits 2,794 ft above the state's median county elevation of 2,017 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Malheur Refuge Hq, OR, 25 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.