Will Pipes Freeze in Billings County, ND? 103 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Billings County
In a normal year Billings County, ND gets 103 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 93% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 183 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 103 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 57 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 32 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 103 nights of risk to 57 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 09/30, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 10/27 to 04/10.
How cold Billings County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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: 57 nights a year, and 32 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 9°F | 20°F | 30°F | 42°F | 51°F | 57°F | 55°F | 45°F | 32°F | 20°F | 10°F |
Billings County next to its neighbours
Stark County, ND, 57 km east, gets 112 nights below 20°F to Billings County's 103 nights. Golden Valley County, ND, 37 km west, gets 102 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings County, ND | - | 183 nights | 103 nights | 6°F |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 37 km west | 185 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| Stark County, ND | 57 km east | 192 nights | 112 nights | 5°F |
| Slope County, ND | 63 km south | 182 nights | 100 nights | 7°F |
| Dunn County, ND | 69 km northeast | 194 nights | 116 nights | 0°F |
| Wibaux County, MT | 69 km west | 189 nights | 104 nights | 6°F |
| McKenzie County, ND | 82 km north | 193 nights | 115 nights | 5°F |
Billings County within ND
Billings County ranks 51 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 2,480 ft, Billings County sits 747 ft above 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Medora (7 mi E), ND, 13 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.