Will Pipes Freeze in Butte County, SD? 95 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Butte County
In a normal year Butte County, SD gets 95 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 90% 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 | 177 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 95 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 48 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 23 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 95 nights of risk to 48 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 05/08. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/08.
How cold Butte County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 48 nights a year, and 23 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 13°F | 22°F | 31°F | 42°F | 52°F | 59°F | 56°F | 46°F | 33°F | 21°F | 12°F |
Butte County next to its neighbours
Lawrence County, SD, 66 km south, gets 100 nights below 20°F to Butte County's 95 nights. Perkins County, SD, 104 km northeast, gets 93 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte County, SD | - | 177 nights | 95 nights | 10°F |
| Lawrence County, SD | 66 km south | 195 nights | 100 nights | 13°F |
| Meade County, SD | 70 km southeast | 185 nights | 102 nights | 9°F |
| Harding County, SD | 78 km north | 183 nights | 100 nights | 8°F |
| Crook County, WY | 91 km west | 186 nights | 96 nights | 12°F |
| Perkins County, SD | 104 km northeast | 173 nights | 93 nights | 9°F |
| Carter County, MT | 105 km northwest | 184 nights | 104 nights | 7°F |
Butte County within SD
Butte County ranks 36 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 3,153 ft, Butte County sits 1,368 ft above 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.
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 Newell, SD, 21 km away (fair 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.