Will Pipes Freeze in Cloud County, KS? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cloud County
In a normal year Cloud County, KS gets 52 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 66% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 128 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 nights of risk to 20 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 10/19, last around 04/18. For 20°F: 11/16 to 03/18.
How cold Cloud County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 20 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 21°F | 31°F | 40°F | 52°F | 62°F | 67°F | 65°F | 56°F | 43°F | 30°F | 21°F |
Cloud County next to its neighbours
Republic County, KS, 38 km north, gets 57 nights below 20°F to Cloud County's 52 nights. Ottawa County, KS, 39 km south, gets 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud County, KS | - | 128 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Republic County, KS | 38 km north | 133 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| Ottawa County, KS | 39 km south | 120 nights | 44 nights | 18°F |
| Clay County, KS | 44 km east | 121 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Mitchell County, KS | 50 km west | 138 nights | 60 nights | 15°F |
| Washington County, KS | 57 km northeast | 131 nights | 56 nights | 15°F |
| Jewell County, KS | 59 km northwest | 144 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
Cloud County within KS
Cloud County ranks 46 of 105 KS counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rawlins County, KS at 83 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Cherokee County, KS: 27 nights, winter lows near 26°F. At 1,602 ft, Cloud County sits 77 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,526 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 Concordia Municipal Airport, KS, 7 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.