Will Pipes Freeze in Deuel County, SD? 103 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Deuel County
In a normal year Deuel County, SD gets 103 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 93% 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 | 171 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 103 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 61 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 35 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 103 nights of risk to 61 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 10/01, last around 05/07. For 20°F: 10/29 to 04/11.
How cold Deuel County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 6°F; the coldest month, January, averages 2°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: 61 nights a year, and 35 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 7°F | 18°F | 31°F | 44°F | 55°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 35°F | 21°F | 9°F |
Deuel County next to its neighbours
Hamlin County, SD, 39 km west, gets 113 nights below 20°F to Deuel County's 103 nights. Lac qui Parle County, MN, 49 km northeast, gets 100 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deuel County, SD | - | 171 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Hamlin County, SD | 39 km west | 182 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
| Brookings County, SD | 43 km south | 176 nights | 105 nights | 4°F |
| Codington County, SD | 46 km northwest | 181 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
| Grant County, SD | 47 km north | 172 nights | 105 nights | 3°F |
| Lac qui Parle County, MN | 49 km northeast | 168 nights | 100 nights | 3°F |
| Lincoln County, MN | 51 km southeast | 172 nights | 105 nights | 4°F |
Deuel County within SD
Deuel County ranks 18 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 1,837 ft, Deuel County sits 52 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 Clear Lake, SD, 1 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.