Will Pipes Freeze in Torrance County, NM? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Torrance County
In a normal year Torrance County, NM gets 73 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 78% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 169 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 19 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 10/01, last around 05/18. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/13.
How cold Torrance County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, December, averages 18°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, March, November, December: 19 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 27°F | 33°F | 41°F | 50°F | 56°F | 55°F | 47°F | 36°F | 25°F | 18°F |
Torrance County next to its neighbours
Valencia County, NM, 86 km west, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torrance County, NM | - | 169 nights | 73 nights | 19°F |
| Valencia County, NM | 86 km west | 149 nights | 63 nights | 19°F |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 90 km northwest | 125 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Lincoln County, NM | 99 km southeast | 137 nights | 40 nights | 24°F |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 107 km north | 158 nights | 57 nights | 19°F |
| Guadalupe County, NM | 107 km east | 117 nights | 33 nights | 24°F |
| Socorro County, NM | 115 km southwest | 128 nights | 44 nights | 22°F |
Torrance County within NM
Torrance County ranks 9 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 6,252 ft, Torrance County sits 647 ft above 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Estancia (4 mi N), NM, 33 km away (fair 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.