Will Pipes Freeze in Aurora County, SD? 90 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Aurora County
In a normal year Aurora County, SD gets 90 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 87% 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 | 162 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 90 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 48 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 22 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 90 nights of risk to 48 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 10/05, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/07.
How cold Aurora County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 48 nights a year, and 22 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 12°F | 22°F | 33°F | 46°F | 57°F | 62°F | 60°F | 50°F | 36°F | 23°F | 13°F |
Aurora County next to its neighbours
Sanborn County, SD, 51 km northeast, gets 95 nights below 20°F to Aurora County's 90 nights. Davison County, SD, 34 km east, gets 87 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora County, SD | - | 162 nights | 90 nights | 8°F |
| Davison County, SD | 34 km east | 158 nights | 87 nights | 9°F |
| Jerauld County, SD | 38 km north | 157 nights | 89 nights | 7°F |
| Douglas County, SD | 41 km southeast | 155 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
| Brule County, SD | 41 km west | 163 nights | 88 nights | 10°F |
| Sanborn County, SD | 51 km northeast | 167 nights | 95 nights | 5°F |
| Charles Mix County, SD | 58 km south | 155 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
Aurora County within SD
Aurora County ranks 43 of 66 SD counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Codington County, SD at 113 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Tripp County, SD: 75 nights, winter lows near 15°F. At 1,566 ft, Aurora County sits 219 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,785 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 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is White Lake, SD, 9 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.