Will Pipes Freeze in Los Alamos County, NM? 51 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Los Alamos County
In a normal year Los Alamos County, NM gets 51 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 65% 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 | 150 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 51 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 12 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 51 nights of risk to 12 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 10/12, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/11 to 03/20.
How cold Los Alamos County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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, November, December: 12 nights a year, and 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 24°F | 30°F | 35°F | 44°F | 53°F | 57°F | 55°F | 49°F | 38°F | 28°F | 21°F |
Los Alamos County next to its neighbours
Santa Fe County, NM, 50 km southeast, gets 57 nights below 20°F to Los Alamos County's 51 nights. Bernalillo County, NM, 96 km south, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Alamos County, NM | - | 150 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 50 km southeast | 158 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Sandoval County, NM | 56 km west | 173 nights | 72 nights | 17°F |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 79 km northwest | 217 nights | 118 nights | 9°F |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 96 km south | 125 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Taos County, NM | 99 km northeast | 203 nights | 108 nights | 9°F |
| Mora County, NM | 125 km east | 185 nights | 85 nights | 16°F |
Los Alamos County within NM
Los Alamos County ranks 14 of 33 NM counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rio Arriba County, NM at 118 nights, with a 11°F average winter low. The fewest is Sierra County, NM: 6 nights, winter lows near 31°F. At 7,339 ft, Los Alamos County sits 1,734 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,604 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 Los Alamos, NM, 1 km away (close 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.