Will Pipes Freeze in Lewis County, WV? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lewis County
In a normal year Lewis County, WV gets 44 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 59% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. 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 | 127 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 nights of risk to 14 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 10/23, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/21.
How cold Lewis County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 24°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 14 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 24°F | 29°F | 38°F | 49°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 54°F | 42°F | 32°F | 27°F |
Lewis County next to its neighbours
Barbour County, WV, 46 km east, gets 53 nights below 20°F to Lewis County's 44 nights. Upshur County, WV, 25 km southeast, gets 43 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, WV | - | 127 nights | 44 nights | 22°F |
| Upshur County, WV | 25 km southeast | 124 nights | 43 nights | 22°F |
| Gilmer County, WV | 32 km west | 126 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Harrison County, WV | 34 km north | 115 nights | 35 nights | 23°F |
| Doddridge County, WV | 36 km northwest | 129 nights | 43 nights | 21°F |
| Braxton County, WV | 38 km southwest | 119 nights | 34 nights | 22°F |
| Barbour County, WV | 46 km east | 141 nights | 53 nights | 20°F |
Lewis County within WV
Lewis County ranks 20 of 55 WV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Tucker County, WV at 70 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Mingo County, WV: 25 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,356 ft, Lewis County sits 143 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,213 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 Stonewall Jackson Dam, WV, 3 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.