Will Pipes Freeze in Buffalo County, NE? 76 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Buffalo County
In a normal year Buffalo County, NE gets 76 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 80% 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 | 157 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 76 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 32 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 76 nights of risk to 32 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 10/10, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/05 to 03/31.
How cold Buffalo County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 32 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 16°F | 25°F | 36°F | 48°F | 59°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 16°F |
Buffalo County next to its neighbours
Sherman County, NE, 41 km north, gets 82 nights below 20°F to Buffalo County's 76 nights. Kearney County, NE, 40 km south, gets 70 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, NE | - | 157 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Kearney County, NE | 40 km south | 149 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Sherman County, NE | 41 km north | 161 nights | 82 nights | 12°F |
| Phelps County, NE | 47 km southwest | 153 nights | 72 nights | 14°F |
| Hall County, NE | 48 km east | 144 nights | 64 nights | 16°F |
| Adams County, NE | 61 km southeast | 141 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Howard County, NE | 62 km northeast | 146 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
Buffalo County within NE
Buffalo County ranks 52 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 2,258 ft, Buffalo County sits 248 ft above 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.
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 Kearney (4 mi NE), NE, 15 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.