Will Pipes Freeze in Bennett County, SD? 88 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bennett County
In a normal year Bennett County, SD gets 88 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 86% 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 | 174 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 88 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 88 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 10/02, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/10.
How cold Bennett County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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, October, November, December: 41 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 15°F | 23°F | 32°F | 42°F | 52°F | 59°F | 57°F | 47°F | 34°F | 23°F | 15°F |
Bennett County next to its neighbours
Todd County, SD, 79 km east, gets 88 nights below 20°F to Bennett County's 88 nights. Jackson County, SD, 55 km north, gets 79 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennett County, SD | - | 174 nights | 88 nights | 12°F |
| Jackson County, SD | 55 km north | 158 nights | 79 nights | 13°F |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 73 km west | 171 nights | 88 nights | 13°F |
| Todd County, SD | 79 km east | 171 nights | 88 nights | 11°F |
| Cherry County, NE | 86 km southeast | 161 nights | 78 nights | 15°F |
| Mellette County, SD | 86 km northeast | 161 nights | 84 nights | 12°F |
| Sheridan County, NE | 94 km southwest | 186 nights | 96 nights | 11°F |
Bennett County within SD
Bennett County ranks 50 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 3,245 ft, Bennett County sits 1,460 ft above 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.
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 Martin, SD, 5 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.