Will Pipes Freeze in Rio Blanco County, CO? 104 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Rio Blanco County
In a normal year Rio Blanco County, CO gets 104 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 93% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 204 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 104 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 23 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 104 nights of risk to 55 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 09/22, last around 05/30. For 20°F: 10/21 to 04/14.
How cold Rio Blanco County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, October, November, December: 55 nights a year, and 23 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 13°F | 23°F | 29°F | 36°F | 43°F | 50°F | 49°F | 40°F | 29°F | 20°F | 9°F |
Rio Blanco County next to its neighbours
Garfield County, CO, 48 km southeast, gets 127 nights below 20°F to Rio Blanco County's 104 nights. Mesa County, CO, 108 km south, gets 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Blanco County, CO | - | 204 nights | 104 nights | 8°F |
| Garfield County, CO | 48 km southeast | 223 nights | 127 nights | 9°F |
| Moffat County, CO | 71 km north | 211 nights | 118 nights | 5°F |
| Mesa County, CO | 108 km south | 127 nights | 44 nights | 19°F |
| Uintah County, UT | 113 km west | 174 nights | 96 nights | 5°F |
| Routt County, CO | 118 km northeast | 213 nights | 116 nights | 6°F |
| Delta County, CO | 127 km south | 151 nights | 60 nights | 18°F |
Rio Blanco County within CO
Rio Blanco County ranks 29 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 6,483 ft, Rio Blanco County sits 397 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.
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 Meeker Airport, CO, 28 km away (fair 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.