Will Pipes Freeze in Park County, MT? 77 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Park County
In a normal year Park County, MT gets 77 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 81% 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 | 172 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 77 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 13 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 77 nights of risk to 34 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 09/25, last around 05/19. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/07.
How cold Park County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, December, averages 17°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, October, November, December: 34 nights a year, and 13 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 18°F | 24°F | 30°F | 38°F | 45°F | 51°F | 49°F | 42°F | 33°F | 24°F | 17°F |
Park County next to its neighbours
Gallatin County, MT, 49 km west, gets 123 nights below 20°F to Park County's 77 nights. Sweet Grass County, MT, 60 km northeast, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park County, MT | - | 172 nights | 77 nights | 17°F |
| Gallatin County, MT | 49 km west | 233 nights | 123 nights | 11°F |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | 60 km northeast | 153 nights | 63 nights | 20°F |
| Stillwater County, MT | 92 km east | 182 nights | 87 nights | 11°F |
| Madison County, MT | 109 km west | 213 nights | 107 nights | 13°F |
| Carbon County, MT | 121 km east | 183 nights | 91 nights | 11°F |
| Broadwater County, MT | 122 km northwest | 174 nights | 83 nights | 14°F |
Park County within MT
Park County ranks 48 of 56 MT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sheridan County, MT at 129 nights, with a 2°F average winter low. The fewest is Lake County, MT: 40 nights, winter lows near 22°F. At 6,824 ft, Park County sits 2,902 ft above the state's median county elevation of 3,922 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 Livingston (12 mi S), MT, 4 km away (fair 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.