Will Pipes Freeze in Pickens County, SC? 11 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Pickens County
In a normal year Pickens County, SC gets 11 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 28% of US counties.
Risk level: Regular. 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 | 74 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 11 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 1 night |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | none |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 11 nights of risk to 1 night. 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 11/03, last around 04/01. For 20°F: 12/20 to 02/14.
How cold Pickens County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 32°F; the coldest month, January, averages 30°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January: 1 night a year, and none below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30°F | 33°F | 39°F | 47°F | 57°F | 65°F | 69°F | 68°F | 62°F | 49°F | 38°F | 33°F |
Pickens County next to its neighbours
Transylvania County, NC, 37 km north, gets 22 nights below 20°F to Pickens County's 11 nights. Greenville County, SC, 32 km east, gets 5 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickens County, SC | - | 74 nights | 11 nights | 30°F |
| Greenville County, SC | 32 km east | 52 nights | 5 nights | 33°F |
| Oconee County, SC | 34 km southwest | 78 nights | 12 nights | 29°F |
| Transylvania County, NC | 37 km north | 94 nights | 22 nights | 27°F |
| Anderson County, SC | 41 km south | 57 nights | 8 nights | 32°F |
| Henderson County, NC | 55 km northeast | 88 nights | 15 nights | 27°F |
| Jackson County, NC | 58 km northwest | 105 nights | 26 nights | 25°F |
Pickens County within SC
Pickens County ranks 6 of 46 SC counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Cherokee County, SC at 18 nights, with a 28°F average winter low. The fewest is Charleston County, SC: under 1 night, winter lows near 45°F. At 990 ft, Pickens County sits 729 ft above the state's median county elevation of 260 ft.
What to do here
- Insulate every pipe in unheated space before the season starts.
- Heat tape on the runs you cannot insulate well.
- Shut off and drain outdoor spigots for the season.
When to have the house ready: when freeze season starts.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Pickens, SC, 1 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.