Will Pipes Freeze in Antelope County, NE? 84 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Antelope County
In a normal year Antelope County, NE gets 84 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 84% 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 | 160 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 84 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 84 nights of risk to 41 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 10/04, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/03.
How cold Antelope County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, 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, November, December: 41 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 24°F | 35°F | 47°F | 58°F | 63°F | 60°F | 51°F | 37°F | 24°F | 15°F |
Antelope County next to its neighbours
Wheeler County, NE, 48 km southwest, gets 86 nights below 20°F to Antelope County's 84 nights. Pierce County, NE, 38 km east, gets 80 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope County, NE | - | 160 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
| Pierce County, NE | 38 km east | 157 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
| Wheeler County, NE | 48 km southwest | 165 nights | 86 nights | 12°F |
| Madison County, NE | 48 km southeast | 157 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Knox County, NE | 52 km north | 154 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Boone County, NE | 53 km south | 161 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Holt County, NE | 67 km northwest | 162 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
Antelope County within NE
Antelope County ranks 21 of 93 NE counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sioux County, NE at 114 nights, with a 11°F average winter low. The fewest is Fillmore County, NE: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 1,927 ft, Antelope County sits 82 ft below the state's median county elevation of 2,010 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Oakdale, NE, 15 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.