Will Pipes Freeze in Juneau City and Borough, AK? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Juneau City and Borough
In a normal year Juneau City and Borough, AK gets 41 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 57% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 144 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 12 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 12 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 10/14, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/14.
How cold Juneau City and Borough nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, 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: 12 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 24°F | 27°F | 33°F | 39°F | 45°F | 48°F | 47°F | 43°F | 37°F | 29°F | 24°F |
Juneau City and Borough next to its neighbours
Haines Borough, AK, 114 km northwest, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Juneau City and Borough's 41 nights. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK, 100 km west, gets 37 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juneau City and Borough, AK | - | 144 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK | 100 km west | 154 nights | 37 nights | 24°F |
| Haines Borough, AK | 114 km northwest | 161 nights | 69 nights | 17°F |
| Skagway Municipality, AK | 148 km northwest | 143 nights | 45 nights | 21°F |
| Sitka City and Borough, AK | 149 km southwest | 96 nights | 11 nights | 30°F |
| Petersburg Borough, AK | 156 km southeast | 99 nights | 20 nights | 28°F |
| Wrangell City and Borough, AK | 276 km southeast | 92 nights | 14 nights | 29°F |
Juneau City and Borough within AK
Juneau City and Borough ranks 17 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK at 192 nights, with a -19°F average winter low. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 669 ft, Juneau City and Borough sits 153 ft below the state's median county elevation of 822 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Annex Creek, AK, 8 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.