Will Pipes Freeze in Corson County, SD? 101 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Corson County
In a normal year Corson County, SD gets 101 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 92% 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 | 101 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 57 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 31 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 101 nights of risk to 57 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 09/30, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 10/27 to 04/08.
How cold Corson 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: 57 nights a year, and 31 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 10°F | 21°F | 32°F | 43°F | 53°F | 59°F | 57°F | 47°F | 34°F | 21°F | 11°F |
Corson County next to its neighbours
Sioux County, ND, 48 km north, gets 108 nights below 20°F to Corson County's 101 nights. Dewey County, SD, 65 km southeast, gets 94 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corson County, SD | - | 177 nights | 101 nights | 6°F |
| Sioux County, ND | 48 km north | 183 nights | 108 nights | 5°F |
| Dewey County, SD | 65 km southeast | 170 nights | 94 nights | 8°F |
| Grant County, ND | 83 km northwest | 188 nights | 113 nights | 4°F |
| Ziebach County, SD | 86 km southwest | 171 nights | 91 nights | 10°F |
| Campbell County, SD | 92 km east | 178 nights | 107 nights | 3°F |
| Walworth County, SD | 94 km east | 178 nights | 105 nights | 4°F |
Corson County within SD
Corson County ranks 20 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 2,058 ft, Corson County sits 273 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.
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 Mc Intosh (6 mi SE), SD, 19 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.