Will Pipes Freeze in Harper County, OK? 34 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Harper County
In a normal year Harper County, OK gets 34 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 50% of US counties.
Risk level: Regular. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 104 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 34 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 7 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | under 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 34 nights of risk to 7 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 10/23, last around 04/17. For 20°F: 11/17 to 03/17.
How cold Harper County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, December: 7 nights a year, and under 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 25°F | 32°F | 42°F | 54°F | 65°F | 69°F | 67°F | 59°F | 45°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Harper County next to its neighbours
Clark County, KS, 50 km north, gets 60 nights below 20°F to Harper County's 34 nights. Woodward County, OK, 54 km southeast, gets 34 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper County, OK | - | 104 nights | 34 nights | 22°F |
| Clark County, KS | 50 km north | 136 nights | 60 nights | 19°F |
| Woodward County, OK | 54 km southeast | 106 nights | 34 nights | 23°F |
| Comanche County, KS | 56 km northeast | 108 nights | 38 nights | 22°F |
| Ellis County, OK | 65 km south | 115 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Woods County, OK | 72 km east | 108 nights | 34 nights | 23°F |
| Beaver County, OK | 73 km west | 134 nights | 55 nights | 19°F |
Harper County within OK
Harper County ranks 5 of 77 OK counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Beaver County, OK at 55 nights, with a 21°F average winter low. The fewest is Choctaw County, OK: 7 nights, winter lows near 34°F. At 1,933 ft, Harper County sits 925 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,009 ft.
What to do here
- Insulate every pipe in unheated space before the season starts.
- Heat tape on the runs you cannot insulate well.
- Shut off and drain outdoor spigots for the season.
Why 20°F is the line for a garage pipe: how cold before pipes freeze.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Buffalo (2 mi SSW), OK, 2 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.