Will Pipes Freeze in Power County, ID? 56 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Power County
In a normal year Power County, ID gets 56 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 69% 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 | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 56 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 56 nights of risk to 20 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 10/08, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/13.
How cold Power County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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, November, December: 20 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 21°F | 28°F | 34°F | 41°F | 48°F | 55°F | 54°F | 45°F | 36°F | 26°F | 19°F |
Power County next to its neighbours
Bannock County, ID, 50 km east, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Power County's 56 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power County, ID | - | 151 nights | 56 nights | 18°F |
| Bannock County, ID | 50 km east | 177 nights | 73 nights | 15°F |
| Oneida County, ID | 63 km southeast | 181 nights | 76 nights | 15°F |
| Minidoka County, ID | 67 km west | 160 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Bingham County, ID | 68 km northeast | 164 nights | 66 nights | 17°F |
| Cassia County, ID | 79 km southwest | 163 nights | 63 nights | 18°F |
| Franklin County, ID | 102 km southeast | 173 nights | 73 nights | 15°F |
Power County within ID
Power County ranks 28 of 44 ID counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Custer County, ID at 145 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Nez Perce County, ID: 20 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 5,010 ft, Power County sits 364 ft above the state's median county elevation of 4,646 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 American Falls, ID, 12 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.