Will Pipes Freeze in Highland County, VA? 62 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Highland County
In a normal year Highland County, VA gets 62 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 72% 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 | 153 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 62 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 22 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 62 nights of risk to 22 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 10/05, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 11/07 to 03/31.
How cold Highland County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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, November, December: 22 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 26°F | 35°F | 44°F | 53°F | 56°F | 55°F | 49°F | 37°F | 28°F | 22°F |
Highland County next to its neighbours
Pocahontas County, WV, 39 km west, gets 67 nights below 20°F to Highland County's 62 nights. Bath County, VA, 36 km southwest, gets 52 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland County, VA | - | 153 nights | 62 nights | 18°F |
| Bath County, VA | 36 km southwest | 139 nights | 52 nights | 20°F |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 39 km west | 156 nights | 67 nights | 17°F |
| Pendleton County, WV | 39 km northeast | 127 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Augusta County, VA | 43 km southeast | 117 nights | 35 nights | 24°F |
| Staunton city, VA | 50 km southeast | 118 nights | 35 nights | 24°F |
| Randolph County, WV | 53 km northwest | 153 nights | 67 nights | 18°F |
Highland County within VA
Highland County ranks 1 of 133 VA counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Norfolk city, VA: 4 nights, winter lows near 35°F. At 3,425 ft, Highland County sits 2,977 ft above the state's median county elevation of 448 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 Bartow (1 mi S), WV, 26 km away (fair 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.