Will Pipes Freeze in Washoe County, NV? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washoe County
In a normal year Washoe County, NV gets 54 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 67% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 13 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 10/01, last around 05/10. For 20°F: 11/02 to 03/27.
How cold Washoe County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, December, averages 19°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, November, December: 13 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 24°F | 29°F | 33°F | 41°F | 49°F | 55°F | 52°F | 44°F | 34°F | 25°F | 19°F |
Washoe County next to its neighbours
Pershing County, NV, 111 km east, gets 65 nights below 20°F to Washoe County's 54 nights. Lassen County, CA, 81 km west, gets 49 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washoe County, NV | - | 164 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Lassen County, CA | 81 km west | 176 nights | 49 nights | 22°F |
| Pershing County, NV | 111 km east | 171 nights | 65 nights | 20°F |
| Plumas County, CA | 128 km southwest | 166 nights | 35 nights | 24°F |
| Modoc County, CA | 130 km northwest | 198 nights | 70 nights | 21°F |
| Storey County, NV | 144 km south | 121 nights | 27 nights | 27°F |
| Sierra County, CA | 148 km southwest | 220 nights | 72 nights | 20°F |
Washoe County within NV
Washoe County ranks 9 of 17 NV counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Elko County, NV at 108 nights, with a 13°F average winter low. The fewest is Clark County, NV: none, winter lows near 39°F. At 6,007 ft, Washoe County sits 265 ft above the state's median county elevation of 5,741 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 Smoke Creek Espil, NV, 16 km away (distant 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.