Will Pipes Freeze in Lincoln County, SD? 89 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lincoln County
In a normal year Lincoln County, SD gets 89 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 87% 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 | 160 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 89 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 50 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 25 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 89 nights of risk to 50 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 10/02, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 10/31 to 04/05.
How cold Lincoln County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°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: 50 nights a year, and 25 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 11°F | 22°F | 34°F | 47°F | 58°F | 62°F | 59°F | 50°F | 37°F | 23°F | 12°F |
Lincoln County next to its neighbours
Lyon County, IA, 43 km east, gets 96 nights below 20°F to Lincoln County's 89 nights. Turner County, SD, 35 km west, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, SD | - | 160 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| Turner County, SD | 35 km west | 160 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
| Lyon County, IA | 43 km east | 168 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 44 km north | 159 nights | 89 nights | 8°F |
| Clay County, SD | 46 km southwest | 159 nights | 86 nights | 9°F |
| Sioux County, IA | 49 km southeast | 155 nights | 83 nights | 9°F |
| Union County, SD | 50 km south | 161 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
Lincoln County within SD
Lincoln County ranks 44 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 1,326 ft, Lincoln County sits 459 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 Canton, SD, 11 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.