Will Pipes Freeze in Buffalo County, SD? 108 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Buffalo County
In a normal year Buffalo County, SD gets 108 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 95% 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 | 178 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 108 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 59 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 29 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 108 nights of risk to 59 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 10/01, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/10.
How cold Buffalo County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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: 59 nights a year, and 29 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 9°F | 21°F | 32°F | 45°F | 56°F | 61°F | 59°F | 49°F | 34°F | 21°F | 11°F |
Buffalo County next to its neighbours
Brule County, SD, 36 km south, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, SD | - | 178 nights | 108 nights | 6°F |
| Brule County, SD | 36 km south | 163 nights | 88 nights | 10°F |
| Jerauld County, SD | 46 km east | 157 nights | 89 nights | 7°F |
| Lyman County, SD | 54 km west | 166 nights | 90 nights | 9°F |
| Hand County, SD | 58 km north | 172 nights | 98 nights | 7°F |
| Hyde County, SD | 59 km north | 170 nights | 97 nights | 7°F |
| Aurora County, SD | 62 km southeast | 162 nights | 90 nights | 8°F |
Buffalo County within SD
Buffalo County ranks 8 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 1,724 ft, Buffalo County sits 61 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 Gann Valley (4 mi NW), SD, 11 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.