Will Pipes Freeze in Madison County, NE? 81 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Madison County
In a normal year Madison County, NE gets 81 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 83% 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 | 157 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 81 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 39 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 81 nights of risk to 39 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 10/06, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/01.
How cold Madison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 39 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 15°F | 25°F | 36°F | 48°F | 59°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 37°F | 25°F | 15°F |
Madison County next to its neighbours
Antelope County, NE, 48 km northwest, gets 84 nights below 20°F to Madison County's 81 nights. Stanton County, NE, 36 km east, gets 77 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, NE | - | 157 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Stanton County, NE | 36 km east | 154 nights | 77 nights | 11°F |
| Platte County, NE | 38 km south | 150 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Pierce County, NE | 40 km north | 157 nights | 80 nights | 10°F |
| Boone County, NE | 45 km southwest | 161 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Antelope County, NE | 48 km northwest | 160 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
| Wayne County, NE | 52 km northeast | 159 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
Madison County within NE
Madison County ranks 35 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 1,679 ft, Madison County sits 331 ft below 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.
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 Madison, NE, 16 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.