Will Pipes Freeze in Zapata County, TX? No Normal Risk Nights
Freeze nights in Zapata County
A normal winter in Zapata County, TX never drops to 20°F, the point where bare pipes in unheated space start to freeze.
Risk level: No normal risk nights.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 4 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | none |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | none |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | none |
Month by month
Nights at or below 20°F in a normal year.
First 32°F night is usually around 12/22, last around 01/19.
How cold Zapata County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 49°F; the coldest month, January, averages 47°F overnight. 3 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Dec).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47°F | 52°F | 58°F | 64°F | 71°F | 76°F | 76°F | 77°F | 73°F | 65°F | 56°F | 48°F |
Zapata County next to its neighbours
Duval County, TX, 102 km northeast, gets under 1 night below 20°F to Zapata County's none.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata County, TX | - | 4 nights | none | 47°F |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 44 km east | 7 nights | under 1 night | 46°F |
| Starr County, TX | 68 km southeast | 4 nights | none | 46°F |
| Webb County, TX | 86 km north | 7 nights | none | 45°F |
| Brooks County, TX | 96 km east | 9 nights | under 1 night | 44°F |
| Duval County, TX | 102 km northeast | 13 nights | under 1 night | 44°F |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 120 km southeast | 3 nights | under 1 night | 48°F |
Zapata County within TX
Zapata County ranks 248 of 254 TX counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Lipscomb County, TX at 57 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Cameron County, TX: none, winter lows near 54°F. At 410 ft, Zapata County sits 582 ft below the state's median county elevation of 992 ft.
What to do here
- Disconnect hoses in a cold snap; no routine prep needed.
Even here, a once-a-decade freeze catches houses built without insulation: why pipes burst in warm places.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Zapata (1 mi S), TX, 16 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.