Will Pipes Freeze in Dakota County, NE? 82 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Dakota County
In a normal year Dakota County, NE gets 82 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 83% 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 | 157 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 82 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 82 nights of risk to 41 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 10/07, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/04 to 03/31.
How cold Dakota County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°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, November, December: 41 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 14°F | 25°F | 36°F | 48°F | 59°F | 64°F | 61°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 14°F |
Dakota County next to its neighbours
Dixon County, NE, 26 km northwest, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Dakota County's 82 nights. Thurston County, NE, 27 km south, gets 80 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota County, NE | - | 157 nights | 82 nights | 10°F |
| Dixon County, NE | 26 km northwest | 162 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Thurston County, NE | 27 km south | 153 nights | 80 nights | 11°F |
| Woodbury County, IA | 42 km east | 157 nights | 82 nights | 9°F |
| Plymouth County, IA | 48 km northeast | 161 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
| Union County, SD | 49 km north | 161 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Wayne County, NE | 51 km southwest | 159 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
Dakota County within NE
Dakota County ranks 31 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 1,247 ft, Dakota County sits 762 ft below 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Sioux City Ang, IA, 15 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.