Will Pipes Freeze in Stevens County, WA? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Stevens County
In a normal year Stevens County, WA 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 60% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to March, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 159 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 nights of risk to 14 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 09/15, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 10/24 to 03/16.
How cold Stevens County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°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, November, December: 14 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 22°F | 28°F | 34°F | 41°F | 47°F | 50°F | 48°F | 41°F | 32°F | 27°F | 22°F |
Stevens County next to its neighbours
Ferry County, WA, 51 km west, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Stevens County's 44 nights. Pend Oreille County, WA, 49 km east, gets 43 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevens County, WA | - | 159 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Pend Oreille County, WA | 49 km east | 175 nights | 43 nights | 23°F |
| Ferry County, WA | 51 km west | 175 nights | 62 nights | 18°F |
| Bonner County, ID | 91 km east | 172 nights | 42 nights | 23°F |
| Spokane County, WA | 92 km south | 135 nights | 31 nights | 25°F |
| Lincoln County, WA | 99 km southwest | 169 nights | 46 nights | 21°F |
| Boundary County, ID | 107 km northeast | 175 nights | 57 nights | 20°F |
Stevens County within WA
Stevens County ranks 7 of 39 WA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Ferry County, WA at 62 nights, with a 18°F average winter low. The fewest is Island County, WA: 1 night, winter lows near 37°F. At 1,605 ft, Stevens County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 1,620 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 Chewelah, WA, 15 km away (close 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.