Will Pipes Freeze in Harding County, SD? 100 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Harding County
In a normal year Harding County, SD gets 100 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 92% 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 | 183 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 100 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 53 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 27 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 100 nights of risk to 53 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 10/01, last around 05/10. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/10.
How cold Harding County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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: 53 nights a year, and 27 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 11°F | 20°F | 30°F | 41°F | 51°F | 57°F | 54°F | 44°F | 32°F | 20°F | 11°F |
Harding County next to its neighbours
Bowman County, ND, 57 km north, gets 106 nights below 20°F to Harding County's 100 nights. Butte County, SD, 78 km south, gets 95 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harding County, SD | - | 183 nights | 100 nights | 8°F |
| Bowman County, ND | 57 km north | 189 nights | 106 nights | 7°F |
| Butte County, SD | 78 km south | 177 nights | 95 nights | 10°F |
| Perkins County, SD | 79 km east | 173 nights | 93 nights | 9°F |
| Carter County, MT | 82 km west | 184 nights | 104 nights | 7°F |
| Adams County, ND | 92 km northeast | 199 nights | 118 nights | 5°F |
| Slope County, ND | 94 km north | 182 nights | 100 nights | 7°F |
Harding County within SD
Harding County ranks 22 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 2,842 ft, Harding County sits 1,057 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Buffalo Asos, SD, 6 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.