Will Pipes Freeze in Mercer County, WV? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Mercer County
In a normal year Mercer County, WV gets 42 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 57% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 121 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 10 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 10 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 10/10, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/25.
How cold Mercer County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 24°F; the coldest month, January, averages 23°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 10 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23°F | 24°F | 30°F | 40°F | 48°F | 56°F | 60°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 32°F | 27°F |
Mercer County next to its neighbours
Bland County, VA, 30 km south, gets 43 nights below 20°F to Mercer County's 42 nights. Summers County, WV, 36 km northeast, gets 31 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, WV | - | 121 nights | 42 nights | 23°F |
| Bland County, VA | 30 km south | 122 nights | 43 nights | 22°F |
| Summers County, WV | 36 km northeast | 113 nights | 31 nights | 24°F |
| Giles County, VA | 37 km east | 122 nights | 37 nights | 23°F |
| Raleigh County, WV | 42 km north | 133 nights | 47 nights | 20°F |
| Wyoming County, WV | 45 km northwest | 116 nights | 31 nights | 24°F |
| McDowell County, WV | 49 km west | 120 nights | 34 nights | 24°F |
Mercer County within WV
Mercer County ranks 25 of 55 WV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Tucker County, WV at 70 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Mingo County, WV: 25 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 2,398 ft, Mercer County sits 1,185 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,213 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 Athens, WV, 7 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.