Will Pipes Freeze in Washakie County, WY? 107 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washakie County
In a normal year Washakie County, WY gets 107 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 94% 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 | 189 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 107 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 59 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 29 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 107 nights of risk to 59 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 09/18, last around 05/22. For 20°F: 10/20 to 04/15.
How cold Washakie County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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, October, November, December: 59 nights a year, and 29 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 10°F | 22°F | 30°F | 39°F | 48°F | 54°F | 51°F | 42°F | 30°F | 17°F | 7°F |
Washakie County next to its neighbours
Big Horn County, WY, 76 km north, gets 109 nights below 20°F to Washakie County's 107 nights. Hot Springs County, WY, 64 km west, gets 105 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washakie County, WY | - | 189 nights | 107 nights | 5°F |
| Hot Springs County, WY | 64 km west | 186 nights | 105 nights | 9°F |
| Big Horn County, WY | 76 km north | 183 nights | 109 nights | 5°F |
| Johnson County, WY | 88 km east | 190 nights | 99 nights | 11°F |
| Sheridan County, WY | 118 km northeast | 185 nights | 93 nights | 13°F |
| Fremont County, WY | 119 km southwest | 184 nights | 105 nights | 8°F |
| Natrona County, WY | 124 km southeast | 195 nights | 104 nights | 11°F |
Washakie County within WY
Washakie County ranks 7 of 23 WY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sublette County, WY at 165 nights, with a 1°F average winter low. The fewest is Platte County, WY: 69 nights, winter lows near 16°F. At 4,549 ft, Washakie County sits 748 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,297 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 Tensleep (16 mi SSE), WY, 26 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.