Will Pipes Freeze in Hot Springs County, WY? 105 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hot Springs County
In a normal year Hot Springs County, WY gets 105 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 94% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 186 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 105 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 49 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 105 nights of risk to 49 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 09/17, last around 05/29. For 20°F: 10/15 to 04/20.
How cold Hot Springs County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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, March, October, November, December: 49 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 13°F | 23°F | 31°F | 40°F | 48°F | 55°F | 53°F | 44°F | 32°F | 20°F | 10°F |
Hot Springs County next to its neighbours
Washakie County, WY, 64 km east, gets 107 nights below 20°F to Hot Springs County's 105 nights. Johnson County, WY, 152 km east, gets 99 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs County, WY | - | 186 nights | 105 nights | 9°F |
| Washakie County, WY | 64 km east | 189 nights | 107 nights | 5°F |
| Fremont County, WY | 75 km south | 184 nights | 105 nights | 8°F |
| Big Horn County, WY | 96 km north | 183 nights | 109 nights | 5°F |
| Park County, WY | 126 km northwest | 247 nights | 128 nights | 8°F |
| Johnson County, WY | 152 km east | 190 nights | 99 nights | 11°F |
| Natrona County, WY | 158 km southeast | 195 nights | 104 nights | 11°F |
Hot Springs County within WY
Hot Springs County ranks 8 of 23 WY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sublette County, WY at 165 nights, with a 1°F average winter low. The fewest is Platte County, WY: 69 nights, winter lows near 16°F. At 5,032 ft, Hot Springs County sits 265 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,297 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 Thermopolis (21 mi WNW), WY, 21 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.