Will Pipes Freeze in Madison County, ID? 88 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Madison County
In a normal year Madison County, ID gets 88 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 86% 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 | 186 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 88 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 43 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 88 nights of risk to 43 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 09/24, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 10/31 to 03/30.
How cold Madison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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, March, November, December: 43 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 15°F | 25°F | 32°F | 39°F | 46°F | 51°F | 49°F | 41°F | 32°F | 23°F | 14°F |
Madison County next to its neighbours
Teton County, ID, 36 km east, gets 106 nights below 20°F to Madison County's 88 nights. Bingham County, ID, 87 km southwest, gets 66 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, ID | - | 186 nights | 88 nights | 12°F |
| Teton County, ID | 36 km east | 208 nights | 106 nights | 9°F |
| Bonneville County, ID | 44 km south | 196 nights | 91 nights | 14°F |
| Fremont County, ID | 50 km north | 231 nights | 121 nights | 8°F |
| Jefferson County, ID | 53 km west | 199 nights | 107 nights | 8°F |
| Clark County, ID | 79 km northwest | 189 nights | 102 nights | 12°F |
| Bingham County, ID | 87 km southwest | 164 nights | 66 nights | 17°F |
Madison County within ID
Madison County ranks 18 of 44 ID counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Custer County, ID at 145 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Nez Perce County, ID: 20 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 5,358 ft, Madison County sits 712 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,646 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 Rexburg Byu Idaho, ID, 11 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.