Will Pipes Freeze in Sheridan County, WY? 93 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Sheridan County
In a normal year Sheridan County, WY gets 93 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 89% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 185 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 93 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 45 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 20 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 93 nights of risk to 45 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 05/17. For 20°F: 10/23 to 04/09.
How cold Sheridan County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 45 nights a year, and 20 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 14°F | 23°F | 30°F | 40°F | 48°F | 54°F | 52°F | 43°F | 32°F | 21°F | 13°F |
Sheridan County next to its neighbours
Johnson County, WY, 85 km south, gets 99 nights below 20°F to Sheridan County's 93 nights. Big Horn County, MT, 86 km northwest, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan County, WY | - | 185 nights | 93 nights | 13°F |
| Johnson County, WY | 85 km south | 190 nights | 99 nights | 11°F |
| Big Horn County, MT | 86 km northwest | 175 nights | 88 nights | 13°F |
| Big Horn County, WY | 93 km west | 183 nights | 109 nights | 5°F |
| Washakie County, WY | 118 km southwest | 189 nights | 107 nights | 5°F |
| Powder River County, MT | 125 km northeast | 186 nights | 97 nights | 11°F |
| Campbell County, WY | 127 km southeast | 177 nights | 84 nights | 15°F |
Sheridan County within WY
Sheridan County ranks 18 of 23 WY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sublette County, WY at 165 nights, with a 1°F average winter low. The fewest is Platte County, WY: 69 nights, winter lows near 16°F. At 4,257 ft, Sheridan County sits 1,040 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,297 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 Big Horn, WY, 15 km away (close 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.