Will Pipes Freeze in Loup County, NE? 91 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Loup County
In a normal year Loup County, NE gets 91 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 88% 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 | 170 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 91 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 91 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 10/05, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/03.
How cold Loup County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°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, October, November, December: 41 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 14°F | 23°F | 33°F | 45°F | 56°F | 61°F | 58°F | 49°F | 34°F | 22°F | 13°F |
Loup County next to its neighbours
Blaine County, NE, 40 km west, gets 88 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loup County, NE | - | 170 nights | 91 nights | 10°F |
| Blaine County, NE | 40 km west | 169 nights | 88 nights | 13°F |
| Garfield County, NE | 47 km east | 167 nights | 86 nights | 12°F |
| Rock County, NE | 56 km north | 159 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Valley County, NE | 58 km southeast | 164 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| Custer County, NE | 59 km south | 173 nights | 90 nights | 13°F |
| Brown County, NE | 61 km northwest | 158 nights | 78 nights | 14°F |
Loup County within NE
Loup County ranks 5 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 2,436 ft, Loup County sits 427 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.
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 Taylor, NE, 18 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.