Will Pipes Freeze in Washington County, UT? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washington County
In a normal year Washington County, UT gets 41 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 57% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 140 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 10 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 10 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 10/11, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 11/14 to 03/15.
How cold Washington County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, December, averages 22°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, November, December: 10 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23°F | 25°F | 31°F | 35°F | 43°F | 52°F | 59°F | 58°F | 49°F | 38°F | 28°F | 22°F |
Washington County next to its neighbours
Iron County, UT, 74 km north, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Washington County's 41 nights. Mohave County, AZ, 173 km south, gets 30 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, UT | - | 140 nights | 41 nights | 23°F |
| Iron County, UT | 74 km north | 179 nights | 77 nights | 17°F |
| Beaver County, UT | 124 km north | 164 nights | 68 nights | 17°F |
| Lincoln County, NV | 128 km west | 153 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Kane County, UT | 148 km east | 151 nights | 56 nights | 19°F |
| Piute County, UT | 169 km northeast | 207 nights | 108 nights | 12°F |
| Mohave County, AZ | 173 km south | 138 nights | 30 nights | 25°F |
Washington County within UT
Washington County ranks 26 of 29 UT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rich County, UT at 138 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Salt Lake County, UT: 22 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 5,258 ft, Washington County sits 549 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,807 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is New Harmony, UT, 28 km away (fair 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.