Will Pipes Freeze in Raleigh County, WV? 47 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Raleigh County
In a normal year Raleigh County, WV gets 47 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 62% 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 | 133 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 47 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 47 nights of risk to 14 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 05/06. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/29.
How cold Raleigh County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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, December: 14 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 22°F | 28°F | 37°F | 47°F | 55°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 40°F | 30°F | 24°F |
Raleigh County next to its neighbours
Wyoming County, WV, 31 km southwest, gets 31 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh County, WV | - | 133 nights | 47 nights | 20°F |
| Wyoming County, WV | 31 km southwest | 116 nights | 31 nights | 24°F |
| Fayette County, WV | 34 km northeast | 118 nights | 37 nights | 22°F |
| Summers County, WV | 38 km east | 113 nights | 31 nights | 24°F |
| Mercer County, WV | 42 km south | 121 nights | 42 nights | 23°F |
| Boone County, WV | 49 km northwest | 116 nights | 33 nights | 24°F |
| McDowell County, WV | 55 km southwest | 120 nights | 34 nights | 24°F |
Raleigh County within WV
Raleigh County ranks 13 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 2,385 ft, Raleigh County sits 1,172 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Beckley Va Hospital, WV, 6 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.