Will Pipes Freeze in Barnes County, ND? 121 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Barnes County
In a normal year Barnes County, ND gets 121 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 98% 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 | 191 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 121 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 81 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 50 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 121 nights of risk to 81 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 09/26, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 10/27 to 04/16.
How cold Barnes County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 2°F; the coldest month, January, averages -2°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, November, December: 81 nights a year, and 50 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2°F | 2°F | 15°F | 28°F | 41°F | 53°F | 57°F | 54°F | 45°F | 32°F | 18°F | 6°F |
Barnes County next to its neighbours
Griggs County, ND, 58 km north, gets 120 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes County, ND | - | 191 nights | 121 nights | -2°F |
| Griggs County, ND | 58 km north | 187 nights | 120 nights | -2°F |
| Cass County, ND | 62 km east | 182 nights | 116 nights | -1°F |
| Steele County, ND | 62 km northeast | 187 nights | 119 nights | -4°F |
| LaMoure County, ND | 64 km southwest | 180 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
| Ransom County, ND | 64 km southeast | 182 nights | 111 nights | 0°F |
| Stutsman County, ND | 67 km west | 182 nights | 111 nights | 1°F |
Barnes County within ND
Barnes County ranks 14 of 53 ND counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rolette County, ND at 137 nights, with a -3°F average winter low. The fewest is Slope County, ND: 100 nights, winter lows near 10°F. At 1,440 ft, Barnes County sits 293 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,733 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 Valley City (3 mi NNW), ND, 4 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.