Will Pipes Freeze in Lincoln County, WA? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lincoln County
In a normal year Lincoln County, WA gets 46 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 61% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 169 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 46 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 46 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 09/12, last around 05/31. For 20°F: 10/27 to 03/29.
How cold Lincoln County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, December, averages 21°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, November, December: 14 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 23°F | 28°F | 32°F | 39°F | 44°F | 49°F | 48°F | 42°F | 33°F | 27°F | 21°F |
Lincoln County next to its neighbours
Ferry County, WA, 99 km north, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Lincoln County's 46 nights. Adams County, WA, 64 km south, gets 25 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, WA | - | 169 nights | 46 nights | 21°F |
| Adams County, WA | 64 km south | 127 nights | 25 nights | 26°F |
| Spokane County, WA | 76 km east | 135 nights | 31 nights | 25°F |
| Grant County, WA | 89 km southwest | 125 nights | 29 nights | 24°F |
| Douglas County, WA | 97 km west | 142 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Stevens County, WA | 99 km northeast | 159 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Ferry County, WA | 99 km north | 175 nights | 62 nights | 18°F |
Lincoln County within WA
Lincoln County ranks 5 of 39 WA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Ferry County, WA at 62 nights, with a 18°F average winter low. The fewest is Island County, WA: 1 night, winter lows near 37°F. At 2,206 ft, Lincoln County sits 586 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,620 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Harrington, WA, 17 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.