Will Pipes Freeze in Brown County, SD? 112 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Brown County
In a normal year Brown County, SD gets 112 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 96% 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 | 179 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 112 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 67 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 39 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 112 nights of risk to 67 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 09/29, last around 05/07. For 20°F: 10/27 to 04/09.
How cold Brown County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, January, averages 1°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: 67 nights a year, and 39 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 6°F | 19°F | 31°F | 45°F | 55°F | 60°F | 57°F | 47°F | 33°F | 19°F | 8°F |
Brown County next to its neighbours
Dickey County, ND, 59 km north, gets 109 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, SD | - | 179 nights | 112 nights | 1°F |
| Dickey County, ND | 59 km north | 178 nights | 109 nights | 2°F |
| Marshall County, SD | 62 km east | 173 nights | 110 nights | 2°F |
| Day County, SD | 65 km southeast | 167 nights | 105 nights | 3°F |
| Edmunds County, SD | 69 km west | 181 nights | 111 nights | 3°F |
| McPherson County, SD | 70 km west | 179 nights | 111 nights | 3°F |
| Spink County, SD | 74 km south | 180 nights | 109 nights | 3°F |
Brown County within SD
Brown County ranks 3 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 1,303 ft, Brown County sits 482 ft below 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.
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 Columbia (8 mi N), SD, 15 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.