Will Pipes Freeze in Kingsbury County, SD? 97 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Kingsbury County
In a normal year Kingsbury County, SD gets 97 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 91% 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 | 165 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 97 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 55 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 28 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 97 nights of risk to 55 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 05/05. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/07.
How cold Kingsbury County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 8°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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: 55 nights a year, and 28 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 9°F | 21°F | 33°F | 45°F | 56°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 36°F | 22°F | 10°F |
Kingsbury County next to its neighbours
Miner County, SD, 39 km south, gets 98 nights below 20°F to Kingsbury County's 97 nights. Lake County, SD, 48 km southeast, gets 96 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsbury County, SD | - | 165 nights | 97 nights | 5°F |
| Miner County, SD | 39 km south | 169 nights | 98 nights | 5°F |
| Hamlin County, SD | 44 km northeast | 182 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
| Lake County, SD | 48 km southeast | 167 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Brookings County, SD | 56 km east | 176 nights | 105 nights | 4°F |
| Clark County, SD | 58 km north | 175 nights | 107 nights | 3°F |
| Sanborn County, SD | 61 km southwest | 167 nights | 95 nights | 5°F |
Kingsbury County within SD
Kingsbury County ranks 30 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 1,699 ft, Kingsbury County sits 86 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is De Smet, SD, 5 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.