Will Pipes Freeze in Lake County, SD? 96 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lake County
In a normal year Lake County, SD gets 96 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 90% 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 | 167 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 96 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 54 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 28 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 96 nights of risk to 54 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 09/30, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 10/31 to 04/08.
How cold Lake County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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: 54 nights a year, and 28 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 10°F | 22°F | 34°F | 46°F | 57°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 36°F | 23°F | 12°F |
Lake County next to its neighbours
Moody County, SD, 36 km east, gets 103 nights below 20°F to Lake County's 96 nights. Minnehaha County, SD, 48 km southeast, gets 89 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, SD | - | 167 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Moody County, SD | 36 km east | 175 nights | 103 nights | 4°F |
| Miner County, SD | 39 km west | 169 nights | 98 nights | 5°F |
| McCook County, SD | 43 km southwest | 167 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Brookings County, SD | 47 km northeast | 176 nights | 105 nights | 4°F |
| Kingsbury County, SD | 48 km northwest | 165 nights | 97 nights | 5°F |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 48 km southeast | 159 nights | 89 nights | 8°F |
Lake County within SD
Lake County ranks 34 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 1,713 ft, Lake County sits 73 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 Madison (2 mi SE), 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.