Will Pipes Freeze in Weld County, CO? 93 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Weld County
In a normal year Weld County, CO gets 93 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 89% 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 | 180 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 93 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 37 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 13 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 93 nights of risk to 37 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 09/28, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 10/23 to 04/13.
How cold Weld County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, December, averages 11°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: 37 nights a year, and 13 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 22°F | 31°F | 41°F | 51°F | 57°F | 54°F | 44°F | 32°F | 19°F | 11°F |
Weld County next to its neighbours
Morgan County, CO, 58 km southeast, gets 86 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weld County, CO | - | 180 nights | 93 nights | 11°F |
| Morgan County, CO | 58 km southeast | 171 nights | 86 nights | 13°F |
| Adams County, CO | 76 km south | 168 nights | 76 nights | 16°F |
| Laramie County, WY | 85 km north | 183 nights | 85 nights | 16°F |
| Broomfield County, CO | 88 km southwest | 150 nights | 58 nights | 19°F |
| Kimball County, NE | 92 km northeast | 186 nights | 91 nights | 13°F |
| Larimer County, CO | 94 km west | 190 nights | 84 nights | 17°F |
Weld County within CO
Weld County ranks 34 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 4,765 ft, Weld County sits 2,115 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.
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 Briggsdale, CO, 10 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.