Will Pipes Freeze in Keya Paha County, NE? 86 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Keya Paha County
In a normal year Keya Paha County, NE gets 86 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 86 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 86 nights of risk to 41 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 10/01, last around 05/10. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/10.
How cold Keya Paha County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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, October, November, December: 41 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 12°F | 21°F | 31°F | 44°F | 54°F | 60°F | 57°F | 48°F | 34°F | 22°F | 13°F |
Keya Paha County next to its neighbours
Gregory County, SD, 53 km northeast, gets 87 nights below 20°F to Keya Paha County's 86 nights. Tripp County, SD, 54 km north, gets 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keya Paha County, NE | - | 164 nights | 86 nights | 10°F |
| Gregory County, SD | 53 km northeast | 164 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Tripp County, SD | 54 km north | 148 nights | 75 nights | 13°F |
| Rock County, NE | 59 km southeast | 159 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Brown County, NE | 60 km south | 158 nights | 78 nights | 14°F |
| Boyd County, NE | 77 km east | 161 nights | 83 nights | 11°F |
| Todd County, SD | 89 km northwest | 171 nights | 88 nights | 11°F |
Keya Paha County within NE
Keya Paha County ranks 15 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 2,299 ft, Keya Paha County sits 289 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Springview (2 mi NW), NE, 6 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.