Will Pipes Freeze in Nome Census Area, AK? 154 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Nome Census Area
In a normal year Nome Census Area, AK gets 154 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 99% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 231 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 154 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 111 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 72 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 154 nights of risk to 111 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 09/03, last around 06/05. For 20°F: 10/12 to 05/05.
How cold Nome Census Area nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 0°F; the coldest month, January, averages -2°F overnight. 11 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December: 111 nights a year, and 72 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2°F | 1°F | 2°F | 16°F | 31°F | 42°F | 46°F | 44°F | 37°F | 25°F | 12°F | 2°F |
Nome Census Area next to its neighbours
Northwest Arctic Borough, AK, 311 km northeast, gets 181 nights below 20°F to Nome Census Area's 154 nights. Bethel Census Area, AK, 475 km southeast, gets 138 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nome Census Area, AK | - | 231 nights | 154 nights | -2°F |
| Northwest Arctic Borough, AK | 311 km northeast | 236 nights | 181 nights | -8°F |
| Bethel Census Area, AK | 475 km southeast | 214 nights | 138 nights | 1°F |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | 593 km east | 242 nights | 185 nights | -19°F |
| Denali Borough, AK | 694 km east | 242 nights | 172 nights | -6°F |
| Bristol Bay Borough, AK | 771 km southeast | 192 nights | 104 nights | 10°F |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 778 km east | 221 nights | 133 nights | 5°F |
Nome Census Area within AK
Nome Census Area ranks 7 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK at 192 nights, with a -19°F average winter low. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 1,345 ft, Nome Census Area sits 524 ft above the state's median county elevation of 822 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 1 nearby station and adjusted for elevation; closest is Nome Municipal Airport, AK, 67 km away (distant 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.