Will Pipes Freeze in Idaho County, ID? 94 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Idaho County
In a normal year Idaho County, ID gets 94 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 89% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 243 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 94 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 39 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 94 nights of risk to 39 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.
How cold Idaho County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, December, averages 14°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, October, November, December: 39 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 16°F | 21°F | 27°F | 33°F | 40°F | 42°F | 39°F | 32°F | 28°F | 21°F | 14°F |
Idaho County next to its neighbours
Ravalli County, MT, 108 km east, gets 97 nights below 20°F to Idaho County's 94 nights. Lewis County, ID, 85 km northwest, gets 40 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho County, ID | - | 243 nights | 94 nights | 15°F |
| Lewis County, ID | 85 km northwest | 159 nights | 40 nights | 23°F |
| Clearwater County, ID | 93 km north | 209 nights | 55 nights | 19°F |
| Ravalli County, MT | 108 km east | 222 nights | 97 nights | 14°F |
| Valley County, ID | 111 km south | 252 nights | 117 nights | 9°F |
| Nez Perce County, ID | 113 km northwest | 109 nights | 20 nights | 27°F |
| Adams County, ID | 133 km southwest | 230 nights | 109 nights | 11°F |
Idaho County within ID
Idaho County ranks 16 of 44 ID counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Custer County, ID at 145 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Nez Perce County, ID: 20 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 4,201 ft, Idaho County sits 446 ft below the state's median county elevation of 4,646 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 Elk City (1 mi NE), ID, 2 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.