Will Pipes Freeze in Nicholas County, WV? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Nicholas County
In a normal year Nicholas County, WV gets 44 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 59% 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 | 133 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 15 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 nights of risk to 15 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 10/07, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/30.
How cold Nicholas County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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: 15 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 22°F | 28°F | 37°F | 47°F | 55°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 39°F | 30°F | 25°F |
Nicholas County next to its neighbours
Webster County, WV, 37 km northeast, gets 50 nights below 20°F to Nicholas County's 44 nights. Clay County, WV, 31 km northwest, gets 35 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas County, WV | - | 133 nights | 44 nights | 20°F |
| Clay County, WV | 31 km northwest | 121 nights | 35 nights | 22°F |
| Webster County, WV | 37 km northeast | 137 nights | 50 nights | 20°F |
| Fayette County, WV | 38 km southwest | 118 nights | 37 nights | 22°F |
| Braxton County, WV | 46 km north | 119 nights | 34 nights | 22°F |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 51 km southeast | 139 nights | 53 nights | 20°F |
| Kanawha County, WV | 63 km west | 100 nights | 26 nights | 25°F |
Nicholas County within WV
Nicholas County ranks 18 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 2,085 ft, Nicholas County sits 873 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 Mount Nebo (1 mi S), WV, 12 km away (close 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.