Will Pipes Freeze in Elk County, KS? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Elk County
In a normal year Elk County, KS gets 42 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 58% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 114 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 12 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 12 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 10/22, last around 04/17. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/13.
How cold Elk County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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, December: 12 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 23°F | 32°F | 43°F | 54°F | 63°F | 68°F | 65°F | 57°F | 44°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Elk County next to its neighbours
Greenwood County, KS, 47 km north, gets 43 nights below 20°F to Elk County's 42 nights. Chautauqua County, KS, 34 km south, gets 34 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk County, KS | - | 114 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
| Chautauqua County, KS | 34 km south | 104 nights | 34 nights | 22°F |
| Wilson County, KS | 46 km east | 109 nights | 36 nights | 22°F |
| Greenwood County, KS | 47 km north | 118 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
| Montgomery County, KS | 53 km southeast | 97 nights | 29 nights | 23°F |
| Cowley County, KS | 58 km southwest | 107 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
| Butler County, KS | 63 km northwest | 112 nights | 40 nights | 20°F |
Elk County within KS
Elk County ranks 78 of 105 KS counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rawlins County, KS at 83 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Cherokee County, KS: 27 nights, winter lows near 26°F. At 995 ft, Elk County sits 531 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,526 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 Howard, KS, 3 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.