Will Pipes Freeze in Montrose County, CO? 92 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Montrose County
In a normal year Montrose County, CO gets 92 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 88% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 185 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 92 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 92 nights of risk to 34 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 05/20. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/15.
How cold Montrose County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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, March, November, December: 34 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 17°F | 24°F | 29°F | 37°F | 47°F | 53°F | 51°F | 44°F | 33°F | 23°F | 14°F |
Montrose County next to its neighbours
San Miguel County, CO, 46 km south, gets 111 nights below 20°F to Montrose County's 92 nights. Delta County, CO, 61 km northeast, gets 60 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montrose County, CO | - | 185 nights | 92 nights | 13°F |
| San Miguel County, CO | 46 km south | 210 nights | 111 nights | 7°F |
| Ouray County, CO | 50 km southeast | 215 nights | 114 nights | 8°F |
| Delta County, CO | 61 km northeast | 151 nights | 60 nights | 18°F |
| Mesa County, CO | 70 km north | 127 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Dolores County, CO | 78 km south | 164 nights | 70 nights | 17°F |
| San Juan County, CO | 87 km southeast | 268 nights | 170 nights | -5°F |
Montrose County within CO
Montrose County ranks 35 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 8,884 ft, Montrose County sits 2,004 ft above the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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 Montrose (11 mi ENE), CO, 52 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.