Will Pipes Freeze in Hayes County, NE? 70 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hayes County
In a normal year Hayes County, NE gets 70 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 77% 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 | 157 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 70 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 27 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 70 nights of risk to 27 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 10/10, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/01.
How cold Hayes County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 27 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 17°F | 25°F | 34°F | 45°F | 56°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 37°F | 25°F | 17°F |
Hayes County next to its neighbours
Hitchcock County, NE, 40 km south, gets 72 nights below 20°F to Hayes County's 70 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes County, NE | - | 157 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Hitchcock County, NE | 40 km south | 158 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
| Frontier County, NE | 54 km east | 166 nights | 88 nights | 13°F |
| Chase County, NE | 55 km west | 167 nights | 81 nights | 13°F |
| Perkins County, NE | 60 km northwest | 166 nights | 79 nights | 14°F |
| Lincoln County, NE | 63 km northeast | 163 nights | 78 nights | 14°F |
| Red Willow County, NE | 64 km southeast | 156 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
Hayes County within NE
Hayes County ranks 66 of 93 NE counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sioux County, NE at 114 nights, with a 11°F average winter low. The fewest is Fillmore County, NE: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 3,071 ft, Hayes County sits 1,061 ft above the state's median county elevation of 2,010 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 Hayes Center (1 mi NW), NE, 2 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.