Will Pipes Freeze in Cheyenne County, NE? 80 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cheyenne County
In a normal year Cheyenne County, NE gets 80 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 82% 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 | 170 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 80 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 80 nights of risk to 29 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 10/04, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/06.
How cold Cheyenne County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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, October, November, December: 29 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 19°F | 26°F | 33°F | 43°F | 53°F | 59°F | 57°F | 48°F | 35°F | 25°F | 17°F |
Cheyenne County next to its neighbours
Morrill County, NE, 58 km north, gets 83 nights below 20°F to Cheyenne County's 80 nights. Logan County, CO, 54 km south, gets 77 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne County, NE | - | 170 nights | 80 nights | 17°F |
| Logan County, CO | 54 km south | 168 nights | 77 nights | 15°F |
| Morrill County, NE | 58 km north | 171 nights | 83 nights | 14°F |
| Kimball County, NE | 58 km west | 186 nights | 91 nights | 13°F |
| Deuel County, NE | 58 km east | 167 nights | 82 nights | 14°F |
| Sedgwick County, CO | 67 km southeast | 161 nights | 74 nights | 15°F |
| Banner County, NE | 70 km northwest | 183 nights | 88 nights | 15°F |
Cheyenne County within NE
Cheyenne County ranks 39 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 4,294 ft, Cheyenne County sits 2,285 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 Sidney (6 mi NNW), NE, 2 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.