Will Pipes Freeze in Navajo County, AZ? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Navajo County
In a normal year Navajo County, AZ gets 54 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 67% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 149 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 13 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 05/16. For 20°F: 11/11 to 03/29.
How cold Navajo County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, December, averages 19°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, November, December: 13 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 24°F | 29°F | 34°F | 42°F | 51°F | 59°F | 58°F | 50°F | 38°F | 27°F | 19°F |
Navajo County next to its neighbours
Apache County, AZ, 75 km east, gets 57 nights below 20°F to Navajo County's 54 nights. Gila County, AZ, 184 km south, gets under 1 night.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navajo County, AZ | - | 149 nights | 54 nights | 20°F |
| Apache County, AZ | 75 km east | 158 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Coconino County, AZ | 140 km west | 183 nights | 67 nights | 20°F |
| Gila County, AZ | 184 km south | 24 nights | under 1 night | 36°F |
| McKinley County, NM | 188 km east | 206 nights | 109 nights | 13°F |
| Cibola County, NM | 218 km east | 193 nights | 91 nights | 14°F |
| San Juan County, NM | 219 km northeast | 141 nights | 48 nights | 20°F |
Navajo County within AZ
Navajo County ranks 3 of 15 AZ counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Coconino County, AZ at 67 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Maricopa County, AZ: none, winter lows near 43°F. At 5,898 ft, Navajo County sits 1,826 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,072 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 Keams Canyon, AZ, 48 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.