Will Pipes Freeze in Dawson County, MT? 94 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Dawson County
In a normal year Dawson County, MT gets 94 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 89% 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 | 175 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 94 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 53 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 29 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 94 nights of risk to 53 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 05/03. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/04.
How cold Dawson County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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: 53 nights a year, and 29 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 12°F | 22°F | 33°F | 43°F | 53°F | 59°F | 56°F | 46°F | 34°F | 22°F | 12°F |
Dawson County next to its neighbours
Wibaux County, MT, 58 km southeast, gets 104 nights below 20°F to Dawson County's 94 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, MT | - | 175 nights | 94 nights | 8°F |
| Wibaux County, MT | 58 km southeast | 189 nights | 104 nights | 6°F |
| Richland County, MT | 63 km northeast | 181 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
| Prairie County, MT | 68 km southwest | 188 nights | 105 nights | 6°F |
| McCone County, MT | 76 km northwest | 183 nights | 99 nights | 7°F |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 88 km southeast | 185 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| Fallon County, MT | 112 km south | 185 nights | 103 nights | 7°F |
Dawson County within MT
Dawson County ranks 30 of 56 MT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sheridan County, MT at 129 nights, with a 2°F average winter low. The fewest is Lake County, MT: 40 nights, winter lows near 22°F. At 2,556 ft, Dawson County sits 1,366 ft below the state's median county elevation of 3,922 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 Glendive, MT, 23 km away (fair 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.