Will Pipes Freeze in Marshall County, KS? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marshall County
In a normal year Marshall County, KS gets 61 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 72% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 139 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 23 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 nights of risk to 23 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 10/13, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/11 to 03/24.
How cold Marshall County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 23 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 19°F | 29°F | 39°F | 51°F | 62°F | 66°F | 63°F | 54°F | 41°F | 29°F | 20°F |
Marshall County next to its neighbours
Gage County, NE, 54 km north, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Marshall County's 61 nights. Nemaha County, KS, 44 km east, gets 56 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, KS | - | 139 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| Nemaha County, KS | 44 km east | 132 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
| Pawnee County, NE | 46 km northeast | 137 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Pottawatomie County, KS | 47 km south | 124 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Washington County, KS | 49 km west | 131 nights | 56 nights | 15°F |
| Gage County, NE | 54 km north | 144 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
| Riley County, KS | 57 km south | 130 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
Marshall County within KS
Marshall County ranks 27 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 1,260 ft, Marshall County sits 266 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Marysville, KS, 12 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.