Will Pipes Freeze in Rosebud County, MT? 84 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Rosebud County
In a normal year Rosebud County, MT gets 84 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 | 172 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 84 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 43 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 20 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 84 nights of risk to 43 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 09/30, last around 05/15. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/10.
How cold Rosebud County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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, October, November, December: 43 nights a year, and 20 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 23°F | 32°F | 42°F | 51°F | 57°F | 55°F | 45°F | 33°F | 22°F | 13°F |
Rosebud County next to its neighbours
Treasure County, MT, 47 km west, gets 85 nights below 20°F to Rosebud County's 84 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosebud County, MT | - | 172 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
| Treasure County, MT | 47 km west | 173 nights | 85 nights | 10°F |
| Custer County, MT | 86 km east | 180 nights | 97 nights | 8°F |
| Big Horn County, MT | 108 km southwest | 175 nights | 88 nights | 13°F |
| Prairie County, MT | 114 km northeast | 188 nights | 105 nights | 6°F |
| Powder River County, MT | 121 km southeast | 186 nights | 97 nights | 11°F |
| Garfield County, MT | 124 km north | 192 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
Rosebud County within MT
Rosebud County ranks 42 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 3,229 ft, Rosebud County sits 694 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 Colstrip, MT, 31 km away (fair 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.