Will Pipes Freeze in Hodgeman County, KS? 59 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hodgeman County
In a normal year Hodgeman County, KS gets 59 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 71% 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 | 143 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 59 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 59 nights of risk to 18 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 10/18, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/12 to 03/22.
How cold Hodgeman County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 18 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 20°F | 29°F | 38°F | 49°F | 60°F | 66°F | 64°F | 55°F | 41°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Hodgeman County next to its neighbours
Ness County, KS, 44 km north, gets 68 nights below 20°F to Hodgeman County's 59 nights. Ford County, KS, 44 km south, gets 48 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hodgeman County, KS | - | 143 nights | 59 nights | 18°F |
| Ness County, KS | 44 km north | 149 nights | 68 nights | 16°F |
| Ford County, KS | 44 km south | 130 nights | 48 nights | 20°F |
| Edwards County, KS | 57 km southeast | 131 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Pawnee County, KS | 59 km east | 124 nights | 47 nights | 20°F |
| Gray County, KS | 62 km southwest | 140 nights | 57 nights | 18°F |
| Lane County, KS | 66 km northwest | 148 nights | 66 nights | 16°F |
Hodgeman County within KS
Hodgeman County ranks 30 of 105 KS counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rawlins County, KS at 83 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Cherokee County, KS: 27 nights, winter lows near 26°F. At 2,316 ft, Hodgeman County sits 790 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,526 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 Jetmore (8 mi NNW), KS, 12 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.