Will Pipes Freeze in Washington County, CO? 74 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washington County
In a normal year Washington County, CO gets 74 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 79% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 74 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 27 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 74 nights of risk to 27 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 10/08, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/03.
How cold Washington County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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: 27 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 18°F | 26°F | 33°F | 43°F | 53°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 36°F | 25°F | 17°F |
Washington County next to its neighbours
Morgan County, CO, 61 km northwest, gets 86 nights below 20°F to Washington County's 74 nights. Yuma County, CO, 67 km east, gets 72 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, CO | - | 164 nights | 74 nights | 16°F |
| Morgan County, CO | 61 km northwest | 171 nights | 86 nights | 13°F |
| Yuma County, CO | 67 km east | 162 nights | 72 nights | 16°F |
| Logan County, CO | 85 km north | 168 nights | 77 nights | 15°F |
| Kit Carson County, CO | 90 km southeast | 157 nights | 63 nights | 18°F |
| Adams County, CO | 96 km west | 168 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Phillips County, CO | 101 km northeast | 170 nights | 81 nights | 13°F |
Washington County within CO
Washington County ranks 49 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 4,686 ft, Washington County sits 2,194 ft below the state's median county elevation of 6,880 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 Akron Washington County Airport, CO, 22 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.