Will Pipes Freeze in Yakutat City and Borough, AK? 50 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Yakutat City and Borough
In a normal year Yakutat City and Borough, AK gets 50 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 65% 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 | 50 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 50 nights of risk to 18 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: 11/07 to 04/01.
How cold Yakutat City and Borough nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°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, November, December: 18 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 23°F | 24°F | 30°F | 37°F | 44°F | 49°F | 47°F | 42°F | 35°F | 27°F | 25°F |
Yakutat City and Borough next to its neighbours
Haines Borough, AK, 291 km east, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Yakutat City and Borough's 50 nights. Skagway Municipality, AK, 289 km east, gets 45 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakutat City and Borough, AK | - | 164 nights | 50 nights | 21°F |
| Skagway Municipality, AK | 289 km east | 143 nights | 45 nights | 21°F |
| Haines Borough, AK | 291 km east | 161 nights | 69 nights | 17°F |
| Copper River Census Area, AK | 293 km northwest | 251 nights | 180 nights | -11°F |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK | 314 km southeast | 154 nights | 37 nights | 24°F |
| Chugach Census Area, AK | 323 km west | 129 nights | 32 nights | 25°F |
| Juneau City and Borough, AK | 399 km southeast | 144 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
Yakutat City and Borough within AK
Yakutat City and Borough ranks 15 of 26 AK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK at 192 nights, with a -19°F average winter low. The fewest is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: 10 nights, winter lows near 32°F. At 1,610 ft, Yakutat City and Borough sits 788 ft above the state's median county elevation of 822 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 2 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Yakutat State Airport, AK, 70 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.