Will Pipes Freeze in Prowers County, CO? 83 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Prowers County
In a normal year Prowers County, CO gets 83 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 84% 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 | 162 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 83 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 83 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 10/10, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/27.
How cold Prowers County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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, November, December: 24 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 18°F | 26°F | 35°F | 46°F | 57°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 36°F | 24°F | 15°F |
Prowers County next to its neighbours
Hamilton County, KS, 53 km east, gets 76 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prowers County, CO | - | 162 nights | 83 nights | 14°F |
| Hamilton County, KS | 53 km east | 157 nights | 76 nights | 14°F |
| Kiowa County, CO | 57 km northwest | 155 nights | 73 nights | 16°F |
| Bent County, CO | 60 km west | 152 nights | 72 nights | 16°F |
| Stanton County, KS | 69 km southeast | 136 nights | 50 nights | 20°F |
| Baca County, CO | 73 km south | 149 nights | 63 nights | 17°F |
| Greeley County, KS | 77 km northeast | 160 nights | 74 nights | 16°F |
Prowers County within CO
Prowers County ranks 42 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 3,681 ft, Prowers County sits 3,198 ft below the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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 Lamar, CO, 26 km away (fair 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.