Will Pipes Freeze in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK? 181 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Northwest Arctic Borough
In a normal year Northwest Arctic Borough, AK gets 181 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 100% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in March.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 236 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 181 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 141 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 101 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 181 nights of risk to 141 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 09/24, last around 06/05. For 20°F: 10/17 to 05/10.
How cold Northwest Arctic Borough nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: -6°F; the coldest month, January, averages -8°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 141 nights a year, and 101 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -8°F | -6°F | -6°F | 9°F | 27°F | 42°F | 51°F | 48°F | 39°F | 23°F | 6°F | -4°F |
Northwest Arctic Borough next to its neighbours
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK, 420 km east, gets 185 nights below 20°F to Northwest Arctic Borough's 181 nights. Nome Census Area, AK, 311 km southwest, gets 154 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Arctic Borough, AK | - | 236 nights | 181 nights | -8°F |
| Nome Census Area, AK | 311 km southwest | 231 nights | 154 nights | -2°F |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | 420 km east | 242 nights | 185 nights | -19°F |
| Denali Borough, AK | 592 km southeast | 242 nights | 172 nights | -6°F |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 666 km east | 226 nights | 169 nights | -11°F |
| Bethel Census Area, AK | 676 km south | 214 nights | 138 nights | 1°F |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 725 km southeast | 221 nights | 133 nights | 5°F |
Northwest Arctic Borough within AK
Northwest Arctic Borough ranks 3 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 181 ft, Northwest Arctic Borough sits 641 ft below 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 1 nearby station and adjusted for elevation; closest is Kotzebue Ralph Wein Airport, AK, 115 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.