Will Pipes Freeze in Grant County, SD? 105 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Grant County
In a normal year Grant County, SD gets 105 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 94% 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 | 172 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 105 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 64 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 38 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 105 nights of risk to 64 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 10/02, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/06.
How cold Grant County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 6°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, November, December: 64 nights a year, and 38 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3°F | 7°F | 19°F | 32°F | 45°F | 57°F | 61°F | 58°F | 48°F | 35°F | 22°F | 9°F |
Grant County next to its neighbours
Codington County, SD, 41 km southwest, gets 113 nights below 20°F to Grant County's 105 nights. Big Stone County, MN, 40 km northeast, gets 102 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, SD | - | 172 nights | 105 nights | 3°F |
| Big Stone County, MN | 40 km northeast | 168 nights | 102 nights | 3°F |
| Codington County, SD | 41 km southwest | 181 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
| Deuel County, SD | 47 km south | 171 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Lac qui Parle County, MN | 51 km east | 168 nights | 100 nights | 3°F |
| Roberts County, SD | 52 km north | 169 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Hamlin County, SD | 63 km southwest | 182 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
Grant County within SD
Grant County ranks 12 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 1,291 ft, Grant County sits 494 ft below 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 Milbank, SD, 13 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.