Will Pipes Freeze in Douglas County, NE? 62 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Douglas County
In a normal year Douglas County, NE gets 62 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 72% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 62 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 62 nights of risk to 29 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 10/18, last around 04/16. For 20°F: 11/12 to 03/20.
How cold Douglas County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 29 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 19°F | 29°F | 40°F | 52°F | 63°F | 67°F | 64°F | 56°F | 43°F | 30°F | 19°F |
Douglas County next to its neighbours
Sarpy County, NE, 21 km south, gets 66 nights below 20°F to Douglas County's 62 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, NE | - | 134 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Sarpy County, NE | 21 km south | 136 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Washington County, NE | 27 km north | 140 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Saunders County, NE | 42 km west | 151 nights | 72 nights | 12°F |
| Cass County, NE | 43 km south | 139 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 51 km east | 146 nights | 73 nights | 12°F |
| Harrison County, IA | 51 km northeast | 154 nights | 81 nights | 10°F |
Douglas County within NE
Douglas County ranks 90 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 1,193 ft, Douglas County sits 817 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 Omaha #1, NE, 13 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.