Will Pipes Freeze in Hinsdale County, CO? 167 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hinsdale County
In a normal year Hinsdale County, CO gets 167 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 100% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 263 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 167 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 109 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 62 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 167 nights of risk to 109 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 09/11, last around 06/15. For 20°F: 10/13 to 05/03.
How cold Hinsdale County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: -1°F; the coldest month, January, averages -2°F overnight. 12 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, 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: 109 nights a year, and 62 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2°F | 0°F | 9°F | 19°F | 28°F | 34°F | 41°F | 39°F | 33°F | 23°F | 11°F | -2°F |
Hinsdale County next to its neighbours
San Juan County, CO, 25 km west, gets 170 nights below 20°F to Hinsdale County's 167 nights. Ouray County, CO, 52 km northwest, gets 114 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinsdale County, CO | - | 263 nights | 167 nights | -2°F |
| San Juan County, CO | 25 km west | 268 nights | 170 nights | -5°F |
| Mineral County, CO | 44 km southeast | 265 nights | 169 nights | -1°F |
| Ouray County, CO | 52 km northwest | 215 nights | 114 nights | 8°F |
| La Plata County, CO | 71 km southwest | 187 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| Archuleta County, CO | 74 km southeast | 208 nights | 107 nights | 9°F |
| Rio Grande County, CO | 90 km southeast | 237 nights | 151 nights | -1°F |
Hinsdale County within CO
Hinsdale County ranks 4 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 11,094 ft, Hinsdale County sits 4,215 ft above the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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 Rio Grande Rsvr, CO, 14 km away (distant 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.