Will Pipes Freeze in Grand Forks County, ND? 118 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Grand Forks County
In a normal year Grand Forks County, ND gets 118 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 98% 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 | 186 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 118 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 80 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 50 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 118 nights of risk to 80 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: 10/26 to 04/13.
How cold Grand Forks County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 1°F; the coldest month, January, averages -3°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: 80 nights a year, and 50 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -3°F | 1°F | 15°F | 29°F | 42°F | 53°F | 58°F | 55°F | 46°F | 33°F | 18°F | 5°F |
Grand Forks County next to its neighbours
Nelson County, ND, 56 km west, gets 126 nights below 20°F to Grand Forks County's 118 nights. Walsh County, ND, 54 km north, gets 113 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Forks County, ND | - | 186 nights | 118 nights | -3°F |
| Walsh County, ND | 54 km north | 176 nights | 113 nights | -1°F |
| Nelson County, ND | 56 km west | 191 nights | 126 nights | -4°F |
| Steele County, ND | 56 km south | 187 nights | 119 nights | -4°F |
| Traill County, ND | 57 km south | 177 nights | 112 nights | 0°F |
| Griggs County, ND | 78 km southwest | 187 nights | 120 nights | -2°F |
| Polk County, MN | 80 km east | 183 nights | 118 nights | -3°F |
Grand Forks County within ND
Grand Forks County ranks 22 of 53 ND counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rolette County, ND at 137 nights, with a -3°F average winter low. The fewest is Slope County, ND: 100 nights, winter lows near 10°F. At 947 ft, Grand Forks County sits 786 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,733 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 Grand Forks International Airport, ND, 20 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.