Will Pipes Freeze in Franklin County, NE? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Franklin County
In a normal year Franklin County, NE gets 73 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 79% 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 | 152 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 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 73 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 10/08, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/05 to 03/30.
How cold Franklin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 18°F | 27°F | 37°F | 48°F | 59°F | 65°F | 62°F | 52°F | 39°F | 26°F | 17°F |
Franklin County next to its neighbours
Webster County, NE, 39 km east, gets 83 nights below 20°F to Franklin County's 73 nights. Kearney County, NE, 36 km north, gets 70 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, NE | - | 152 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Kearney County, NE | 36 km north | 149 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Harlan County, NE | 37 km west | 150 nights | 71 nights | 15°F |
| Webster County, NE | 39 km east | 159 nights | 83 nights | 13°F |
| Smith County, KS | 47 km south | 136 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Phelps County, NE | 53 km northwest | 153 nights | 72 nights | 14°F |
| Adams County, NE | 54 km northeast | 141 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
Franklin County within NE
Franklin County ranks 57 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 2,105 ft, Franklin County sits 96 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.
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 Franklin #2, NE, 10 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.