Will Pipes Freeze in Brule County, SD? 88 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Brule County
In a normal year Brule 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 | 163 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 88 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 45 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 21 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 88 nights of risk to 45 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 10/07, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/04.
How cold Brule County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 45 nights a year, and 21 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 13°F | 24°F | 34°F | 46°F | 57°F | 62°F | 60°F | 51°F | 37°F | 24°F | 14°F |
Brule County next to its neighbours
Buffalo County, SD, 36 km north, gets 108 nights below 20°F to Brule County's 88 nights. Douglas County, SD, 70 km southeast, gets 80 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brule County, SD | - | 163 nights | 88 nights | 10°F |
| Buffalo County, SD | 36 km north | 178 nights | 108 nights | 6°F |
| Aurora County, SD | 41 km east | 162 nights | 90 nights | 8°F |
| Jerauld County, SD | 53 km northeast | 157 nights | 89 nights | 7°F |
| Gregory County, SD | 62 km south | 164 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Lyman County, SD | 63 km west | 166 nights | 90 nights | 9°F |
| Douglas County, SD | 70 km southeast | 155 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
Brule County within SD
Brule County ranks 49 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 1,689 ft, Brule County sits 96 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 Chamberlain (5 mi S), SD, 18 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.