Will Pipes Freeze in Hutchinson County, SD? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hutchinson County
In a normal year Hutchinson County, SD gets 85 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 85% 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 | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 46 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 21 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 nights of risk to 46 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 10/04, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/02.
How cold Hutchinson County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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, November, December: 46 nights a year, and 21 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 13°F | 24°F | 35°F | 48°F | 59°F | 63°F | 60°F | 51°F | 38°F | 24°F | 13°F |
Hutchinson County next to its neighbours
Hanson County, SD, 38 km north, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Hutchinson County's 85 nights. Bon Homme County, SD, 41 km south, gets 84 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson County, SD | - | 157 nights | 85 nights | 9°F |
| Hanson County, SD | 38 km north | 159 nights | 87 nights | 6°F |
| Bon Homme County, SD | 41 km south | 157 nights | 84 nights | 9°F |
| Yankton County, SD | 47 km southeast | 156 nights | 84 nights | 10°F |
| Turner County, SD | 49 km east | 160 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
| McCook County, SD | 50 km northeast | 167 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Douglas County, SD | 50 km west | 155 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
Hutchinson County within SD
Hutchinson County ranks 57 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 1,313 ft, Hutchinson County sits 472 ft below 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 Menno, SD, 18 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.