Will Pipes Freeze in Union County, NM? 66 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Union County
In a normal year Union County, NM gets 66 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 74% 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 | 154 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 66 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 16 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 66 nights of risk to 16 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 10/09, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/04.
How cold Union County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 16 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 20°F | 27°F | 34°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 56°F | 49°F | 37°F | 26°F | 19°F |
Union County next to its neighbours
Colfax County, NM, 105 km west, gets 98 nights below 20°F to Union County's 66 nights. Harding County, NM, 78 km southwest, gets 46 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NM | - | 154 nights | 66 nights | 19°F |
| Harding County, NM | 78 km southwest | 135 nights | 46 nights | 21°F |
| Dallam County, TX | 82 km east | 138 nights | 51 nights | 20°F |
| Cimarron County, OK | 90 km east | 136 nights | 49 nights | 20°F |
| Colfax County, NM | 105 km west | 185 nights | 98 nights | 13°F |
| Las Animas County, CO | 105 km northwest | 156 nights | 64 nights | 19°F |
| Hartley County, TX | 106 km southeast | 141 nights | 54 nights | 20°F |
Union County within NM
Union County ranks 11 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 5,604 ft, Union County sits close to 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.
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 Grenville, NM, 17 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.