Will Pipes Freeze in Cherry County, NE? 78 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cherry County
In a normal year Cherry County, NE gets 78 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 81% 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 | 161 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 78 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 35 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 78 nights of risk to 35 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 10/11, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/31.
How cold Cherry County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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, November, December: 35 nights a year, and 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 17°F | 26°F | 35°F | 46°F | 56°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 37°F | 26°F | 17°F |
Cherry County next to its neighbours
Todd County, SD, 76 km north, gets 88 nights below 20°F to Cherry County's 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry County, NE | - | 161 nights | 78 nights | 15°F |
| Hooker County, NE | 73 km south | 164 nights | 79 nights | 15°F |
| Todd County, SD | 76 km north | 171 nights | 88 nights | 11°F |
| Bennett County, SD | 86 km northwest | 174 nights | 88 nights | 12°F |
| Thomas County, NE | 90 km southeast | 173 nights | 91 nights | 12°F |
| Grant County, NE | 94 km southwest | 166 nights | 80 nights | 15°F |
| Brown County, NE | 95 km east | 158 nights | 78 nights | 14°F |
Cherry County within NE
Cherry County ranks 48 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 3,049 ft, Cherry County sits 1,039 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Valentine Nwr, NE, 29 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.