Will Pipes Freeze in Summit County, UT? 110 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Summit County
In a normal year Summit County, UT gets 110 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 95% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 214 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 110 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 51 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 110 nights of risk to 51 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 Summit County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°F overnight. 11 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 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: 51 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 11°F | 20°F | 26°F | 34°F | 40°F | 47°F | 46°F | 38°F | 28°F | 18°F | 10°F |
Summit County next to its neighbours
Wasatch County, UT, 62 km south, gets 117 nights below 20°F to Summit County's 110 nights. Morgan County, UT, 57 km northwest, gets 86 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit County, UT | - | 214 nights | 110 nights | 10°F |
| Morgan County, UT | 57 km northwest | 192 nights | 86 nights | 13°F |
| Uinta County, WY | 57 km northeast | 203 nights | 103 nights | 12°F |
| Wasatch County, UT | 62 km south | 217 nights | 117 nights | 13°F |
| Duchesne County, UT | 79 km southeast | 187 nights | 102 nights | 8°F |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 84 km west | 96 nights | 22 nights | 26°F |
| Rich County, UT | 87 km north | 239 nights | 138 nights | 4°F |
Summit County within UT
Summit County ranks 3 of 29 UT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rich County, UT at 138 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Salt Lake County, UT: 22 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 9,823 ft, Summit County sits 4,016 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,807 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 Coalville (13 mi E), UT, 17 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.