Will Pipes Freeze in Ritchie County, WV? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Ritchie County
In a normal year Ritchie County, WV gets 42 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 58% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 128 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 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 10/17, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/20.
How cold Ritchie County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°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 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 23°F | 30°F | 39°F | 50°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 41°F | 31°F | 26°F |
Ritchie County next to its neighbours
Doddridge County, WV, 32 km east, gets 43 nights below 20°F to Ritchie County's 42 nights. Pleasants County, WV, 23 km north, gets 38 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ritchie County, WV | - | 128 nights | 42 nights | 21°F |
| Pleasants County, WV | 23 km north | 119 nights | 38 nights | 22°F |
| Doddridge County, WV | 32 km east | 129 nights | 43 nights | 21°F |
| Wirt County, WV | 32 km southwest | 135 nights | 50 nights | 20°F |
| Gilmer County, WV | 35 km southeast | 126 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Tyler County, WV | 36 km northeast | 134 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Calhoun County, WV | 37 km south | 130 nights | 42 nights | 21°F |
Ritchie County within WV
Ritchie County ranks 23 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 968 ft, Ritchie County sits 245 ft below 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.
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 Harrisville, WV, 5 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.