Will Pipes Freeze in Upshur County, WV? 43 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Upshur County
In a normal year Upshur County, WV gets 43 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 58% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 124 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 43 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 43 nights of risk to 14 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 10/21, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/22 to 03/21.
How cold Upshur County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 24°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°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, December: 14 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 24°F | 30°F | 40°F | 50°F | 58°F | 62°F | 60°F | 53°F | 42°F | 33°F | 27°F |
Upshur County next to its neighbours
Lewis County, WV, 25 km northwest, gets 44 nights below 20°F to Upshur County's 43 nights. Harrison County, WV, 44 km north, gets 35 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upshur County, WV | - | 124 nights | 43 nights | 22°F |
| Lewis County, WV | 25 km northwest | 127 nights | 44 nights | 22°F |
| Barbour County, WV | 33 km northeast | 141 nights | 53 nights | 20°F |
| Randolph County, WV | 34 km southeast | 153 nights | 67 nights | 18°F |
| Harrison County, WV | 44 km north | 115 nights | 35 nights | 23°F |
| Braxton County, WV | 49 km southwest | 119 nights | 34 nights | 22°F |
| Webster County, WV | 50 km south | 137 nights | 50 nights | 20°F |
Upshur County within WV
Upshur County ranks 22 of 55 WV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Tucker County, WV at 70 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Mingo County, WV: 25 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,690 ft, Upshur County sits 477 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,213 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Rock Cave (2 mi NE), WV, 8 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.