Will Pipes Freeze in Sierra County, CA? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Sierra County
In a normal year Sierra County, CA gets 72 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 78% 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 | 220 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 25 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 nights of risk to 25 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.
How cold Sierra County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, December, averages 19°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, November, December: 25 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 20°F | 23°F | 26°F | 33°F | 38°F | 44°F | 42°F | 38°F | 31°F | 25°F | 19°F |
Sierra County next to its neighbours
Nevada County, CA, 38 km southwest, gets 14 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra County, CA | - | 220 nights | 72 nights | 20°F |
| Nevada County, CA | 38 km southwest | 122 nights | 14 nights | 30°F |
| Plumas County, CA | 53 km northwest | 166 nights | 35 nights | 24°F |
| Placer County, CA | 60 km south | 58 nights | 2 nights | 35°F |
| Yuba County, CA | 78 km southwest | 33 nights | under 1 night | 37°F |
| Carson City, NV | 82 km southeast | 149 nights | 45 nights | 24°F |
| Storey County, NV | 87 km east | 121 nights | 27 nights | 27°F |
Sierra County within CA
Sierra County ranks 2 of 58 CA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Mono County, CA at 130 nights, with a 13°F average winter low. The fewest is Orange County, CA: none, winter lows near 46°F. At 7,442 ft, Sierra County sits 6,144 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,298 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 Sagehen Creek, CA, 29 km away (distant 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.