Will Pipes Freeze in La Plata County, CO? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in La Plata County
In a normal year La Plata County, CO gets 85 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 85% 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 | 187 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 31 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 nights of risk to 31 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 10/02, last around 05/21. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/02.
How cold La Plata County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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: 31 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 18°F | 24°F | 30°F | 37°F | 45°F | 53°F | 51°F | 44°F | 32°F | 22°F | 13°F |
La Plata County next to its neighbours
San Juan County, CO, 57 km north, gets 170 nights below 20°F to La Plata County's 85 nights. Montezuma County, CO, 67 km west, gets 68 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Plata County, CO | - | 187 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| San Juan County, CO | 57 km north | 268 nights | 170 nights | -5°F |
| Montezuma County, CO | 67 km west | 168 nights | 68 nights | 17°F |
| Archuleta County, CO | 70 km east | 208 nights | 107 nights | 9°F |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 71 km northeast | 263 nights | 167 nights | -2°F |
| Dolores County, CO | 77 km northwest | 164 nights | 70 nights | 17°F |
| Mineral County, CO | 79 km east | 265 nights | 169 nights | -1°F |
La Plata County within CO
La Plata County ranks 40 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 7,219 ft, La Plata County sits 340 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.
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 Durango, CO, 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.