Will Pipes Freeze in Saguache County, CO? 144 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Saguache County
In a normal year Saguache County, CO gets 144 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 September to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 233 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 144 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 79 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 36 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 144 nights of risk to 79 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 09/28, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/12.
How cold Saguache County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, January, averages 3°F overnight. 12 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, 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: 79 nights a year, and 36 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3°F | 7°F | 18°F | 25°F | 33°F | 40°F | 46°F | 45°F | 37°F | 26°F | 16°F | 4°F |
Saguache County next to its neighbours
Rio Grande County, CO, 64 km south, gets 151 nights below 20°F to Saguache County's 144 nights. Custer County, CO, 76 km east, gets 115 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saguache County, CO | - | 233 nights | 144 nights | 3°F |
| Rio Grande County, CO | 64 km south | 237 nights | 151 nights | -1°F |
| Alamosa County, CO | 65 km southeast | 222 nights | 146 nights | 0°F |
| Custer County, CO | 76 km east | 206 nights | 115 nights | 9°F |
| Chaffee County, CO | 78 km north | 256 nights | 156 nights | 0°F |
| Fremont County, CO | 85 km northeast | 183 nights | 92 nights | 13°F |
| Mineral County, CO | 86 km southwest | 265 nights | 169 nights | -1°F |
Saguache County within CO
Saguache County ranks 13 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 8,622 ft, Saguache County sits 1,742 ft above 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Saguache, CO, 10 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.