Will Pipes Freeze in Jackson County, CO? 145 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Jackson County
In a normal year Jackson County, CO gets 145 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 99% 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 | 257 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 145 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 78 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 38 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 145 nights of risk to 78 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 Jackson County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 4°F; the coldest month, January, averages 3°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: 78 nights a year, and 38 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3°F | 5°F | 14°F | 20°F | 28°F | 35°F | 39°F | 37°F | 30°F | 21°F | 12°F | 4°F |
Jackson County next to its neighbours
Grand County, CO, 64 km south, gets 154 nights below 20°F to Jackson County's 145 nights. Routt County, CO, 59 km west, gets 116 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, CO | - | 257 nights | 145 nights | 3°F |
| Routt County, CO | 59 km west | 213 nights | 116 nights | 6°F |
| Grand County, CO | 64 km south | 265 nights | 154 nights | 2°F |
| Larimer County, CO | 71 km east | 190 nights | 84 nights | 17°F |
| Boulder County, CO | 101 km southeast | 200 nights | 86 nights | 16°F |
| Gilpin County, CO | 112 km southeast | 235 nights | 126 nights | 13°F |
| Summit County, CO | 117 km south | 264 nights | 177 nights | 4°F |
Jackson County within CO
Jackson County ranks 12 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 8,124 ft, Jackson County sits 1,244 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 Walden, CO, 10 km away (close 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.