Will Pipes Freeze in Fall River County, SD? 96 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fall River County
In a normal year Fall River County, SD gets 96 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 90% 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 | 182 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 96 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 43 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 96 nights of risk to 43 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 09/27, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 10/27 to 04/14.
How cold Fall River County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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: 43 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 14°F | 23°F | 31°F | 41°F | 51°F | 57°F | 55°F | 45°F | 32°F | 21°F | 13°F |
Fall River County next to its neighbours
Custer County, SD, 52 km north, gets 98 nights below 20°F to Fall River County's 96 nights. Dawes County, NE, 64 km southeast, gets 90 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River County, SD | - | 182 nights | 96 nights | 12°F |
| Custer County, SD | 52 km north | 192 nights | 98 nights | 13°F |
| Dawes County, NE | 64 km southeast | 176 nights | 90 nights | 13°F |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 78 km east | 171 nights | 88 nights | 13°F |
| Niobrara County, WY | 80 km west | 179 nights | 92 nights | 12°F |
| Sioux County, NE | 85 km south | 202 nights | 114 nights | 11°F |
| Pennington County, SD | 103 km northeast | 167 nights | 83 nights | 13°F |
Fall River County within SD
Fall River County ranks 32 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 3,671 ft, Fall River County sits 1,886 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.
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 Hot Springs, SD, 24 km away (fair 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.