Will Pipes Freeze in Minidoka County, ID? 57 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Minidoka County
In a normal year Minidoka County, ID gets 57 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 69% 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 | 160 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 57 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 57 nights of risk to 17 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 10/01, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 11/01 to 03/30.
How cold Minidoka County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 17 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 29°F | 33°F | 42°F | 48°F | 55°F | 53°F | 45°F | 35°F | 26°F | 20°F |
Minidoka County next to its neighbours
Lincoln County, ID, 44 km west, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Minidoka County's 57 nights. Jerome County, ID, 54 km west, gets 47 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minidoka County, ID | - | 160 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Lincoln County, ID | 44 km west | 181 nights | 77 nights | 15°F |
| Jerome County, ID | 54 km west | 152 nights | 47 nights | 21°F |
| Cassia County, ID | 64 km south | 163 nights | 63 nights | 18°F |
| Blaine County, ID | 65 km northwest | 193 nights | 101 nights | 9°F |
| Power County, ID | 67 km east | 151 nights | 56 nights | 18°F |
| Gooding County, ID | 97 km west | 148 nights | 46 nights | 22°F |
Minidoka County within ID
Minidoka County ranks 26 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 4,323 ft, Minidoka County sits 323 ft below 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 Minidoka Dam, ID, 23 km away (fair 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.