Will Pipes Freeze in Marion County, KS? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marion County
In a normal year Marion County, KS gets 42 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 58% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 119 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 14 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 10/30, last around 04/08. For 20°F: 11/27 to 03/08.
How cold Marion County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 14 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 25°F | 35°F | 45°F | 55°F | 66°F | 70°F | 68°F | 59°F | 47°F | 34°F | 25°F |
Marion County next to its neighbours
Chase County, KS, 45 km east, gets 46 nights below 20°F to Marion County's 42 nights. Dickinson County, KS, 57 km north, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, KS | - | 119 nights | 42 nights | 21°F |
| Chase County, KS | 45 km east | 119 nights | 46 nights | 18°F |
| Harvey County, KS | 45 km southwest | 115 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
| McPherson County, KS | 48 km west | 126 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Morris County, KS | 54 km northeast | 122 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Dickinson County, KS | 57 km north | 111 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Saline County, KS | 68 km northwest | 117 nights | 40 nights | 20°F |
Marion County within KS
Marion County ranks 76 of 105 KS counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rawlins County, KS at 83 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Cherokee County, KS: 27 nights, winter lows near 26°F. At 1,364 ft, Marion County sits 161 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,526 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 Marion Rsvr, KS, 3 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.