Will Pipes Freeze in Morgan County, KY? 49 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Morgan County
In a normal year Morgan County, KY gets 49 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 63% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 140 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 49 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 12 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 49 nights of risk to 12 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 10/16, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/14 to 03/23.
How cold Morgan County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 24°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°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: 12 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 24°F | 30°F | 38°F | 49°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 40°F | 31°F | 26°F |
Morgan County next to its neighbours
Elliott County, KY, 26 km northeast, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, KY | - | 140 nights | 49 nights | 22°F |
| Elliott County, KY | 26 km northeast | 118 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Wolfe County, KY | 29 km southwest | 96 nights | 26 nights | 25°F |
| Menifee County, KY | 29 km west | 117 nights | 39 nights | 23°F |
| Magoffin County, KY | 30 km southeast | 112 nights | 22 nights | 23°F |
| Rowan County, KY | 35 km northwest | 105 nights | 33 nights | 24°F |
| Johnson County, KY | 39 km east | 115 nights | 31 nights | 23°F |
Morgan County within KY
Morgan County ranks 2 of 120 KY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Shelby County, KY at 55 nights, with a 22°F average winter low. The fewest is Lyon County, KY: 15 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 804 ft, Morgan County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 797 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 W Liberty (3 mi NW), KY, 4 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.