Will Pipes Freeze in Graham County, KS? 68 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Graham County
In a normal year Graham County, KS gets 68 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 76% 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 | 150 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 68 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 23 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 68 nights of risk to 23 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 10/13, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/07 to 03/31.
How cold Graham County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 23 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 19°F | 28°F | 37°F | 49°F | 60°F | 66°F | 63°F | 53°F | 39°F | 27°F | 18°F |
Graham County next to its neighbours
Norton County, KS, 48 km north, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Graham County's 68 nights. Rooks County, KS, 48 km east, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham County, KS | - | 150 nights | 68 nights | 17°F |
| Norton County, KS | 48 km north | 151 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Rooks County, KS | 48 km east | 147 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
| Trego County, KS | 48 km south | 136 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
| Sheridan County, KS | 48 km west | 148 nights | 65 nights | 19°F |
| Phillips County, KS | 66 km northeast | 141 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Decatur County, KS | 69 km northwest | 163 nights | 78 nights | 16°F |
Graham County within KS
Graham County ranks 14 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 2,160 ft, Graham County sits 635 ft above 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.
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 Hill City (1 mi E), KS, 5 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.