Will Pipes Freeze in Otero County, CO? 92 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Otero County
In a normal year Otero County, CO gets 92 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 88% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 171 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 92 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 92 nights of risk to 33 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 10/04, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/05.
How cold Otero County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, December, averages 13°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: 33 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 17°F | 24°F | 33°F | 44°F | 54°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 34°F | 22°F | 13°F |
Otero County next to its neighbours
Crowley County, CO, 47 km north, gets 94 nights below 20°F to Otero County's 92 nights. Bent County, CO, 57 km east, gets 72 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otero County, CO | - | 171 nights | 92 nights | 14°F |
| Crowley County, CO | 47 km north | 171 nights | 94 nights | 13°F |
| Bent County, CO | 57 km east | 152 nights | 72 nights | 16°F |
| Las Animas County, CO | 69 km southwest | 156 nights | 64 nights | 19°F |
| Pueblo County, CO | 74 km northwest | 158 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Kiowa County, CO | 101 km northeast | 155 nights | 73 nights | 16°F |
| Huerfano County, CO | 111 km west | 142 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
Otero County within CO
Otero County ranks 37 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 4,364 ft, Otero County sits 2,516 ft below the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is La Junta (17 mi WSW), CO, 9 km away (close 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.