Will Pipes Freeze in Boone County, NE? 81 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Boone County
In a normal year Boone County, NE gets 81 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 83% 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 | 161 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 81 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 37 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 81 nights of risk to 37 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 05/01. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/02.
How cold Boone 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: 37 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 15°F | 24°F | 34°F | 47°F | 58°F | 63°F | 60°F | 50°F | 37°F | 24°F | 15°F |
Boone County next to its neighbours
Greeley County, NE, 41 km west, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Boone County's 81 nights. Nance County, NE, 34 km south, gets 71 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County, NE | - | 161 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Nance County, NE | 34 km south | 148 nights | 71 nights | 13°F |
| Greeley County, NE | 41 km west | 169 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Wheeler County, NE | 45 km northwest | 165 nights | 86 nights | 12°F |
| Madison County, NE | 45 km northeast | 157 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Platte County, NE | 48 km east | 150 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Antelope County, NE | 53 km north | 160 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
Boone County within NE
Boone County ranks 33 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 1,831 ft, Boone County sits 178 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 Albion, NE, 6 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.