Will Pipes Freeze in Lyon County, NV? 50 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lyon County
In a normal year Lyon County, NV gets 50 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 64% 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 | 145 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 50 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 9 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 50 nights of risk to 9 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 10/15, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/04.
How cold Lyon County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, December, 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: 9 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 25°F | 31°F | 36°F | 44°F | 51°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 36°F | 26°F | 20°F |
Lyon County next to its neighbours
Alpine County, CA, 69 km southwest, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Lyon County's 50 nights. Carson City, NV, 50 km west, gets 45 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon County, NV | - | 145 nights | 50 nights | 21°F |
| Douglas County, NV | 38 km west | 176 nights | 50 nights | 22°F |
| Carson City, NV | 50 km west | 149 nights | 45 nights | 24°F |
| Storey County, NV | 54 km northwest | 121 nights | 27 nights | 27°F |
| Alpine County, CA | 69 km southwest | 189 nights | 58 nights | 22°F |
| Mineral County, NV | 88 km southeast | 115 nights | 28 nights | 26°F |
| Churchill County, NV | 99 km northeast | 171 nights | 67 nights | 19°F |
Lyon County within NV
Lyon County ranks 13 of 17 NV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Elko County, NV at 108 nights, with a 13°F average winter low. The fewest is Clark County, NV: none, winter lows near 39°F. At 4,358 ft, Lyon County sits 1,383 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,741 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 Yerington, NV, 4 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.