Will Pipes Freeze in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK? 133 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
In a normal year Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK gets 133 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 99% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 221 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 133 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 74 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 34 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 133 nights of risk to 74 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 09/16, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 10/16 to 04/14.
How cold Matanuska-Susitna Borough nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°F overnight. 11 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 74 nights a year, and 34 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 8°F | 10°F | 22°F | 33°F | 42°F | 47°F | 44°F | 35°F | 24°F | 12°F | 7°F |
Matanuska-Susitna Borough next to its neighbours
Denali Borough, AK, 160 km north, gets 172 nights below 20°F to Matanuska-Susitna Borough's 133 nights. Anchorage Municipality, AK, 122 km south, gets 104 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | - | 221 nights | 133 nights | 5°F |
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 122 km south | 203 nights | 104 nights | 12°F |
| Denali Borough, AK | 160 km north | 242 nights | 172 nights | -6°F |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK | 259 km southwest | 194 nights | 102 nights | 10°F |
| Chugach Census Area, AK | 264 km southeast | 129 nights | 32 nights | 25°F |
| Copper River Census Area, AK | 291 km east | 251 nights | 180 nights | -11°F |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 306 km northeast | 226 nights | 169 nights | -11°F |
Matanuska-Susitna Borough within AK
Matanuska-Susitna Borough ranks 9 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK at 192 nights, with a -19°F average winter low. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 3,205 ft, Matanuska-Susitna Borough sits 2,383 ft above the state's median county elevation of 822 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 Talkeetna Airport, AK, 31 km away (distant 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.