Will Pipes Freeze in Dawson County, NE? 75 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Dawson County
In a normal year Dawson County, NE gets 75 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 80% 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 | 75 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 31 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 75 nights of risk to 31 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 10/13, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/06 to 03/26.
How cold Dawson County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 31 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 17°F | 27°F | 36°F | 48°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 38°F | 26°F | 17°F |
Dawson County next to its neighbours
Custer County, NE, 59 km north, gets 90 nights below 20°F to Dawson County's 75 nights. Gosper County, NE, 40 km south, gets 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, NE | - | 157 nights | 75 nights | 15°F |
| Gosper County, NE | 40 km south | 154 nights | 75 nights | 14°F |
| Phelps County, NE | 52 km southeast | 153 nights | 72 nights | 14°F |
| Custer County, NE | 59 km north | 173 nights | 90 nights | 13°F |
| Buffalo County, NE | 62 km east | 157 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Frontier County, NE | 62 km southwest | 166 nights | 88 nights | 13°F |
| Furnas County, NE | 76 km south | 165 nights | 83 nights | 13°F |
Dawson County within NE
Dawson County ranks 53 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 2,453 ft, Dawson County sits 443 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Canaday Steam Plt, NE, 22 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.