Will Pipes Freeze in Pocahontas County, WV? 67 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Pocahontas County
In a normal year Pocahontas County, WV gets 67 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 75% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 156 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 67 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 67 nights of risk to 24 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 10/05, last around 05/10. For 20°F: 11/07 to 04/01.
How cold Pocahontas County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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, November, December: 24 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 19°F | 25°F | 34°F | 44°F | 52°F | 56°F | 55°F | 48°F | 37°F | 27°F | 21°F |
Pocahontas County next to its neighbours
Randolph County, WV, 51 km north, gets 67 nights below 20°F to Pocahontas County's 67 nights. Bath County, VA, 38 km southeast, gets 52 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas County, WV | - | 156 nights | 67 nights | 17°F |
| Bath County, VA | 38 km southeast | 139 nights | 52 nights | 20°F |
| Highland County, VA | 39 km east | 153 nights | 62 nights | 18°F |
| Webster County, WV | 42 km northwest | 137 nights | 50 nights | 20°F |
| Randolph County, WV | 51 km north | 153 nights | 67 nights | 18°F |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 60 km southwest | 139 nights | 53 nights | 20°F |
| Alleghany County, VA | 61 km south | 120 nights | 31 nights | 23°F |
Pocahontas County within WV
Pocahontas County ranks 3 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 2,837 ft, Pocahontas County sits 1,624 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.
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 Frost (3 mi NE), WV, 18 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.