Will Pipes Freeze in Socorro County, NM? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Socorro County
In a normal year Socorro County, NM gets 44 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 59% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 128 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 4 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 nights of risk to 4 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 10/25, last around 04/16. For 20°F: 11/24 to 02/27.
How cold Socorro County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 24°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, December: 4 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 27°F | 33°F | 40°F | 48°F | 57°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 41°F | 30°F | 23°F |
Socorro County next to its neighbours
Valencia County, NM, 82 km north, gets 63 nights below 20°F to Socorro County's 44 nights. Sierra County, NM, 100 km south, gets 6 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socorro County, NM | - | 128 nights | 44 nights | 22°F |
| Valencia County, NM | 82 km north | 149 nights | 63 nights | 19°F |
| Sierra County, NM | 100 km south | 72 nights | 6 nights | 30°F |
| Torrance County, NM | 115 km northeast | 169 nights | 73 nights | 19°F |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 121 km north | 125 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Catron County, NM | 134 km west | 217 nights | 111 nights | 14°F |
| Lincoln County, NM | 140 km east | 137 nights | 40 nights | 24°F |
Socorro County within NM
Socorro County ranks 17 of 33 NM counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rio Arriba County, NM at 118 nights, with a 11°F average winter low. The fewest is Sierra County, NM: 6 nights, winter lows near 31°F. At 5,116 ft, Socorro County sits 488 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,604 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 Socorro, NM, 9 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.