Will Pipes Freeze in Roosevelt County, MT? 128 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Roosevelt County
In a normal year Roosevelt County, MT gets 128 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 99% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 203 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 128 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 78 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 45 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 128 nights of risk to 78 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 09/14, last around 05/24. For 20°F: 10/09 to 04/23.
How cold Roosevelt County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 3°F; the coldest month, January, averages 1°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, March, April, October, November, December: 78 nights a year, and 45 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 5°F | 16°F | 28°F | 38°F | 48°F | 53°F | 51°F | 41°F | 28°F | 15°F | 4°F |
Roosevelt County next to its neighbours
Sheridan County, MT, 58 km northeast, gets 129 nights below 20°F to Roosevelt County's 128 nights. Richland County, MT, 64 km southeast, gets 102 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt County, MT | - | 203 nights | 128 nights | 1°F |
| Sheridan County, MT | 58 km northeast | 203 nights | 129 nights | -2°F |
| Richland County, MT | 64 km southeast | 181 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
| Daniels County, MT | 70 km northwest | 205 nights | 127 nights | 0°F |
| McCone County, MT | 92 km southwest | 183 nights | 99 nights | 7°F |
| Williams County, ND | 111 km east | 187 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
| Dawson County, MT | 113 km south | 175 nights | 94 nights | 8°F |
Roosevelt County within MT
Roosevelt County ranks 3 of 56 MT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sheridan County, MT at 129 nights, with a 2°F average winter low. The fewest is Lake County, MT: 40 nights, winter lows near 22°F. At 2,181 ft, Roosevelt County sits 1,741 ft below the state's median county elevation of 3,922 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 Wolf Point (29 mi ENE), MT, 8 km away (close 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.