Will Pipes Freeze in Hooker County, NE? 79 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hooker County
In a normal year Hooker County, NE gets 79 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 82% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 79 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 35 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 12 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 79 nights of risk to 35 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 10/05, last around 05/07. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/06.
How cold Hooker County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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, October, November, December: 35 nights a year, and 12 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 17°F | 25°F | 34°F | 44°F | 55°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 36°F | 25°F | 16°F |
Hooker County next to its neighbours
McPherson County, NE, 30 km south, gets 83 nights below 20°F to Hooker County's 79 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooker County, NE | - | 164 nights | 79 nights | 15°F |
| McPherson County, NE | 30 km south | 169 nights | 83 nights | 14°F |
| Thomas County, NE | 50 km east | 173 nights | 91 nights | 12°F |
| Grant County, NE | 53 km west | 166 nights | 80 nights | 15°F |
| Arthur County, NE | 62 km southwest | 169 nights | 83 nights | 14°F |
| Logan County, NE | 70 km southeast | 172 nights | 89 nights | 13°F |
| Cherry County, NE | 73 km north | 161 nights | 78 nights | 15°F |
Hooker County within NE
Hooker County ranks 44 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 3,279 ft, Hooker County sits 1,269 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.
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 Mullen, NE, 15 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.