Will Pipes Freeze in Phillips County, MT? 101 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Phillips County
In a normal year Phillips County, MT gets 101 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 92% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 178 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 101 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 59 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 31 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 101 nights of risk to 59 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 09/29, last around 05/10. For 20°F: 10/25 to 04/05.
How cold Phillips County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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, April, October, November, December: 59 nights a year, and 31 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 10°F | 21°F | 32°F | 42°F | 52°F | 57°F | 55°F | 45°F | 33°F | 20°F | 10°F |
Phillips County next to its neighbours
Blaine County, MT, 79 km west, gets 110 nights below 20°F to Phillips County's 101 nights. Petroleum County, MT, 125 km south, gets 89 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips County, MT | - | 178 nights | 101 nights | 6°F |
| Blaine County, MT | 79 km west | 196 nights | 110 nights | 6°F |
| Valley County, MT | 94 km east | 179 nights | 104 nights | 5°F |
| Petroleum County, MT | 125 km south | 176 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Garfield County, MT | 130 km southeast | 192 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
| Fergus County, MT | 150 km southwest | 184 nights | 88 nights | 14°F |
| Hill County, MT | 166 km west | 186 nights | 101 nights | 6°F |
Phillips County within MT
Phillips County ranks 22 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 2,524 ft, Phillips County sits 1,398 ft below 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Malta, MT, 13 km away (close 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.