Will Pipes Freeze in Weston County, WY? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Weston County
In a normal year Weston County, WY gets 102 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 92% 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 | 186 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 102 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 49 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 23 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 102 nights of risk to 49 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 09/23, last around 05/20. For 20°F: 10/20 to 04/16.
How cold Weston County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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, April, October, November, December: 49 nights a year, and 23 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 12°F | 21°F | 30°F | 40°F | 49°F | 56°F | 54°F | 44°F | 31°F | 19°F | 11°F |
Weston County next to its neighbours
Crook County, WY, 83 km north, gets 96 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weston County, WY | - | 186 nights | 102 nights | 10°F |
| Crook County, WY | 83 km north | 186 nights | 96 nights | 12°F |
| Lawrence County, SD | 83 km northeast | 195 nights | 100 nights | 13°F |
| Campbell County, WY | 85 km northwest | 177 nights | 84 nights | 15°F |
| Niobrara County, WY | 88 km south | 179 nights | 92 nights | 12°F |
| Custer County, SD | 91 km east | 192 nights | 98 nights | 13°F |
| Fall River County, SD | 110 km southeast | 182 nights | 96 nights | 12°F |
Weston County within WY
Weston County ranks 14 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 4,240 ft, Weston County sits 1,057 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.
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 Upton, WY, 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.