Will Pipes Freeze in Iron County, UT? 77 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Iron County
In a normal year Iron County, UT gets 77 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 80% 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 | 179 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 77 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 26 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 77 nights of risk to 26 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 09/20, last around 05/31. For 20°F: 10/20 to 04/21.
How cold Iron County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, December, averages 16°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, November, December: 26 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 20°F | 26°F | 30°F | 38°F | 47°F | 54°F | 53°F | 43°F | 32°F | 22°F | 16°F |
Iron County next to its neighbours
Piute County, UT, 113 km northeast, gets 108 nights below 20°F to Iron County's 77 nights. Beaver County, UT, 50 km north, gets 68 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County, UT | - | 179 nights | 77 nights | 17°F |
| Beaver County, UT | 50 km north | 164 nights | 68 nights | 17°F |
| Washington County, UT | 74 km south | 140 nights | 41 nights | 23°F |
| Piute County, UT | 113 km northeast | 207 nights | 108 nights | 12°F |
| Millard County, UT | 117 km north | 175 nights | 77 nights | 16°F |
| Lincoln County, NV | 140 km west | 153 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Kane County, UT | 149 km southeast | 151 nights | 56 nights | 19°F |
Iron County within UT
Iron County ranks 15 of 29 UT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rich County, UT at 138 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Salt Lake County, UT: 22 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 5,175 ft, Iron County sits 632 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,807 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 Enterprise Beryl Junction, UT, 34 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.