Will Pipes Freeze in Owyhee County, ID? 56 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Owyhee County
In a normal year Owyhee County, ID gets 56 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 69% 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 | 166 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 56 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 56 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 10/06, last around 05/31. For 20°F: 11/10 to 04/05.
How cold Owyhee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, December, averages 21°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, November, December: 13 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 23°F | 28°F | 31°F | 40°F | 46°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 36°F | 26°F | 21°F |
Owyhee County next to its neighbours
Elmore County, ID, 108 km northeast, gets 106 nights below 20°F to Owyhee County's 56 nights. Ada County, ID, 98 km north, gets 29 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owyhee County, ID | - | 166 nights | 56 nights | 21°F |
| Ada County, ID | 98 km north | 117 nights | 29 nights | 26°F |
| Elmore County, ID | 108 km northeast | 211 nights | 106 nights | 10°F |
| Gooding County, ID | 120 km east | 148 nights | 46 nights | 22°F |
| Canyon County, ID | 124 km north | 117 nights | 27 nights | 24°F |
| Twin Falls County, ID | 127 km east | 142 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Malheur County, OR | 134 km northwest | 181 nights | 68 nights | 20°F |
Owyhee County within ID
Owyhee County ranks 27 of 44 ID counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Custer County, ID at 145 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Nez Perce County, ID: 20 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 5,736 ft, Owyhee County sits 1,090 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,646 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 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Silver City (5 mi W), ID, 71 km away (distant 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.