Will Pipes Freeze in Travis County, TX? 1 night a Year
Freeze nights in Travis County
In a normal year Travis County, TX 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 8% 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 11/16, last around 03/12. For 20°F: 01/01 to 01/20.
How cold Travis County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 40°F; the coldest month, January, averages 38°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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38°F | 42°F | 49°F | 56°F | 65°F | 71°F | 73°F | 72°F | 67°F | 57°F | 47°F | 39°F |
Travis County next to its neighbours
Blanco County, TX, 68 km west, gets 4 nights below 20°F to Travis County's 1 night.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis County, TX | - | 30 nights | 1 night | 38°F |
| Hays County, TX | 38 km southwest | 25 nights | 1 night | 39°F |
| Bastrop County, TX | 40 km southeast | 34 nights | 2 nights | 38°F |
| Caldwell County, TX | 46 km south | 30 nights | 1 night | 39°F |
| Williamson County, TX | 46 km north | 29 nights | 2 nights | 37°F |
| Blanco County, TX | 68 km west | 42 nights | 4 nights | 35°F |
| Lee County, TX | 69 km east | 27 nights | 1 night | 39°F |
Travis County within TX
Travis County ranks 183 of 254 TX counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Lipscomb County, TX at 57 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Cameron County, TX: none, winter lows near 54°F. At 482 ft, Travis County sits 511 ft below the state's median county elevation of 992 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 Austin Bergstrom Airport, TX, 6 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.