Will Pipes Freeze in Madison County, MT? 107 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Madison County
In a normal year Madison County, MT gets 107 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 94% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 213 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 107 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 49 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 107 nights of risk to 49 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 09/18, last around 06/04. For 20°F: 10/22 to 04/18.
How cold Madison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, December, averages 13°F overnight. 12 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, October, November, December: 49 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 14°F | 21°F | 27°F | 35°F | 41°F | 47°F | 46°F | 39°F | 30°F | 20°F | 13°F |
Madison County next to its neighbours
Gallatin County, MT, 62 km east, gets 123 nights below 20°F to Madison County's 107 nights. Park County, MT, 109 km east, gets 77 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, MT | - | 213 nights | 107 nights | 13°F |
| Gallatin County, MT | 62 km east | 233 nights | 123 nights | 11°F |
| Beaverhead County, MT | 80 km west | 228 nights | 128 nights | 9°F |
| Silver Bow County, MT | 86 km northwest | 235 nights | 127 nights | 9°F |
| Jefferson County, MT | 90 km north | 214 nights | 107 nights | 10°F |
| Park County, MT | 109 km east | 172 nights | 77 nights | 17°F |
| Broadwater County, MT | 116 km north | 174 nights | 83 nights | 14°F |
Madison County within MT
Madison County ranks 12 of 56 MT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sheridan County, MT at 129 nights, with a 2°F average winter low. The fewest is Lake County, MT: 40 nights, winter lows near 22°F. At 6,953 ft, Madison County sits 3,031 ft above the state's median county elevation of 3,922 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 Virginia City, MT, 5 km away (fair 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.