Will Pipes Freeze in Boyd County, NE? 83 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Boyd County
In a normal year Boyd County, NE gets 83 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 84% 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 | 83 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 83 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 10/06, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/05.
How cold Boyd County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 41 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 23°F | 34°F | 46°F | 57°F | 62°F | 60°F | 50°F | 37°F | 24°F | 15°F |
Boyd County next to its neighbours
Gregory County, SD, 47 km northwest, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Boyd County's 83 nights. Charles Mix County, SD, 38 km northeast, gets 79 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyd County, NE | - | 161 nights | 83 nights | 11°F |
| Charles Mix County, SD | 38 km northeast | 155 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Gregory County, SD | 47 km northwest | 164 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Holt County, NE | 48 km south | 162 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
| Douglas County, SD | 65 km northeast | 155 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
| Bon Homme County, SD | 73 km east | 157 nights | 84 nights | 9°F |
| Rock County, NE | 77 km southwest | 159 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
Boyd County within NE
Boyd County ranks 25 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 1,737 ft, Boyd County sits 273 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 Butte, NE, 7 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.