Will Pipes Freeze in Tift County, GA? 1 night a Year
Freeze nights in Tift County
In a normal year Tift County, GA gets 1 night at or below 20°F, the point where bare pipes in a garage, attic or outside wall start to freeze. That is more than 6% of US counties.
Risk level: Rare. The risk season runs January to January, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 30 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 1 night |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | none |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | none |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 1 night of risk to none. 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 11/19, last around 03/11. For 20°F: 01/11 to 01/25.
How cold Tift County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 39°F; the coldest month, January, averages 37°F overnight. 5 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37°F | 40°F | 46°F | 52°F | 60°F | 68°F | 70°F | 70°F | 65°F | 55°F | 45°F | 40°F |
Tift County next to its neighbours
Turner County, GA, 31 km north, gets 2 nights below 20°F to Tift County's 1 night.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tift County, GA | - | 30 nights | 1 night | 37°F |
| Irwin County, GA | 29 km northeast | 26 nights | 1 night | 38°F |
| Turner County, GA | 31 km north | 35 nights | 2 nights | 36°F |
| Worth County, GA | 32 km west | 34 nights | 2 nights | 37°F |
| Berrien County, GA | 34 km southeast | 34 nights | 2 nights | 37°F |
| Cook County, GA | 35 km south | 24 nights | under 1 night | 39°F |
| Colquitt County, GA | 38 km southwest | 21 nights | under 1 night | 39°F |
Tift County within GA
Tift County ranks 145 of 159 GA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Union County, GA at 28 nights, with a 27°F average winter low. The fewest is Glynn County, GA: under 1 night, winter lows near 46°F. At 329 ft, Tift County sits 91 ft below the state's median county elevation of 420 ft.
What to do here
- Watch the forecast for a sub-threshold night.
- That night: drip the faucet on an outside wall, open the sink cabinet.
A few nights a year catches houses that were never built for it: pipes in places that rarely freeze.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Tifton, GA, 5 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.