Will Pipes Freeze in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK? 192 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
In a normal year Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK gets 192 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 100% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs September to May, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 261 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 192 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 162 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 132 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 192 nights of risk to 162 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 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: -19°F; the coldest month, January, averages -22°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, September, October, November, December: 162 nights a year, and 132 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -22°F | -16°F | -8°F | 16°F | 31°F | 41°F | 45°F | 39°F | 29°F | 13°F | -10°F | -19°F |
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area next to its neighbours
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK, 182 km northwest, gets 169 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK | - | 261 nights | 192 nights | -22°F |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 182 km northwest | 226 nights | 169 nights | -11°F |
| Copper River Census Area, AK | 207 km south | 251 nights | 180 nights | -11°F |
| Denali Borough, AK | 335 km west | 242 nights | 172 nights | -6°F |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 363 km southwest | 221 nights | 133 nights | 5°F |
| Chugach Census Area, AK | 406 km southwest | 129 nights | 32 nights | 25°F |
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 431 km southwest | 203 nights | 104 nights | 12°F |
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area within AK
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ranks 1 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 2,415 ft, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area sits 1,593 ft above the state's median county elevation of 822 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 Tok, AK, 60 km away (distant match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.