Will Pipes Freeze in Pendleton County, WV? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Pendleton County
In a normal year Pendleton County, WV gets 44 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 59% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 127 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 11 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 nights of risk to 11 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 10/11, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/16 to 03/22.
How cold Pendleton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 11 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 22°F | 30°F | 38°F | 47°F | 55°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 40°F | 31°F | 25°F |
Pendleton County next to its neighbours
Highland County, VA, 39 km southwest, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Pendleton County's 44 nights. Rockingham County, VA, 44 km southeast, gets 38 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pendleton County, WV | - | 127 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Highland County, VA | 39 km southwest | 153 nights | 62 nights | 18°F |
| Rockingham County, VA | 44 km southeast | 122 nights | 38 nights | 23°F |
| Randolph County, WV | 47 km west | 153 nights | 67 nights | 18°F |
| Harrisonburg city, VA | 49 km southeast | 123 nights | 39 nights | 23°F |
| Grant County, WV | 50 km north | 139 nights | 50 nights | 21°F |
| Tucker County, WV | 52 km north | 149 nights | 70 nights | 17°F |
Pendleton County within WV
Pendleton County ranks 19 of 55 WV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Tucker County, WV at 70 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Mingo County, WV: 25 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 2,218 ft, Pendleton County sits 1,005 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,213 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 Franklin (2 mi NE), WV, 3 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.