Will Pipes Freeze in Laurens County, SC? 13 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Laurens County
In a normal year Laurens County, SC gets 13 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 29% of US counties.
Risk level: Regular. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 79 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 13 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 1 night |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | none |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 13 nights of risk to 1 night. 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 11/05, last around 04/01. For 20°F: 12/27 to 02/13.
How cold Laurens County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 32°F; the coldest month, January, averages 30°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January: 1 night a year, and none below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30°F | 33°F | 39°F | 48°F | 58°F | 66°F | 70°F | 68°F | 62°F | 49°F | 38°F | 33°F |
Laurens County next to its neighbours
Greenwood County, SC, 38 km south, gets 7 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens County, SC | - | 79 nights | 13 nights | 30°F |
| Greenwood County, SC | 38 km south | 62 nights | 7 nights | 33°F |
| Union County, SC | 42 km northeast | 70 nights | 10 nights | 30°F |
| Newberry County, SC | 43 km southeast | 63 nights | 9 nights | 31°F |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 50 km north | 76 nights | 13 nights | 31°F |
| Abbeville County, SC | 50 km southwest | 61 nights | 7 nights | 32°F |
| Greenville County, SC | 56 km northwest | 52 nights | 5 nights | 33°F |
Laurens County within SC
Laurens County ranks 3 of 46 SC counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Cherokee County, SC at 18 nights, with a 28°F average winter low. The fewest is Charleston County, SC: under 1 night, winter lows near 45°F. At 565 ft, Laurens County sits 304 ft above the state's median county elevation of 260 ft.
What to do here
- Insulate every pipe in unheated space before the season starts.
- Heat tape on the runs you cannot insulate well.
- Shut off and drain outdoor spigots for the season.
What insulating actually removes here, and when heat tape is needed: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Laurens, SC, 2 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.