Will Pipes Freeze in Las Animas County, CO? 64 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Las Animas County
In a normal year Las Animas County, CO gets 64 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 73% 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 | 156 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 64 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 64 nights of risk to 20 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 10/09, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/02.
How cold Las Animas County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 20 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 28°F | 35°F | 44°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 50°F | 37°F | 27°F | 19°F |
Las Animas County next to its neighbours
Otero County, CO, 69 km northeast, gets 92 nights below 20°F to Las Animas County's 64 nights. Huerfano County, CO, 91 km northwest, gets 54 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Animas County, CO | - | 156 nights | 64 nights | 19°F |
| Otero County, CO | 69 km northeast | 171 nights | 92 nights | 14°F |
| Huerfano County, CO | 91 km northwest | 142 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Colfax County, NM | 95 km southwest | 185 nights | 98 nights | 13°F |
| Pueblo County, CO | 102 km north | 158 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Union County, NM | 105 km southeast | 154 nights | 66 nights | 19°F |
| Bent County, CO | 109 km northeast | 152 nights | 72 nights | 16°F |
Las Animas County within CO
Las Animas County ranks 57 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 5,241 ft, Las Animas County sits 1,638 ft below 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.
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 Trinidad Perry Stokes Airport, CO, 27 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.