Will Pipes Freeze in Hughes County, SD? 106 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hughes County
In a normal year Hughes County, SD gets 106 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 94% 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 | 180 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 106 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 60 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 30 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 106 nights of risk to 60 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 09/24, last around 05/17. For 20°F: 10/18 to 04/20.
How cold Hughes County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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: 60 nights a year, and 30 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 9°F | 20°F | 31°F | 43°F | 54°F | 60°F | 57°F | 47°F | 33°F | 20°F | 9°F |
Hughes County next to its neighbours
Buffalo County, SD, 72 km southeast, gets 108 nights below 20°F to Hughes County's 106 nights. Sully County, SD, 40 km north, gets 99 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hughes County, SD | - | 180 nights | 106 nights | 5°F |
| Sully County, SD | 40 km north | 172 nights | 99 nights | 7°F |
| Hyde County, SD | 43 km northeast | 170 nights | 97 nights | 7°F |
| Lyman County, SD | 55 km south | 166 nights | 90 nights | 9°F |
| Stanley County, SD | 61 km west | 167 nights | 94 nights | 8°F |
| Buffalo County, SD | 72 km southeast | 178 nights | 108 nights | 6°F |
| Potter County, SD | 74 km north | 176 nights | 105 nights | 5°F |
Hughes County within SD
Hughes County ranks 11 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 1,875 ft, Hughes County sits 90 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 Harrold (12 mi SSW), SD, 14 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.