Will Pipes Freeze in McIntosh County, ND? 116 nights a Year
Freeze nights in McIntosh County
In a normal year McIntosh County, ND gets 116 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 97% 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 | 185 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 116 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 70 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 39 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 116 nights of risk to 70 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 09/28, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 10/22 to 04/16.
How cold McIntosh County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, January, averages 1°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, April, November, December: 70 nights a year, and 39 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 5°F | 17°F | 29°F | 42°F | 53°F | 58°F | 56°F | 46°F | 32°F | 19°F | 8°F |
McIntosh County next to its neighbours
Logan County, ND, 41 km north, gets 120 nights below 20°F to McIntosh County's 116 nights. McPherson County, SD, 39 km southeast, gets 111 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McIntosh County, ND | - | 185 nights | 116 nights | 1°F |
| McPherson County, SD | 39 km southeast | 179 nights | 111 nights | 3°F |
| Logan County, ND | 41 km north | 190 nights | 120 nights | 1°F |
| Campbell County, SD | 58 km southwest | 178 nights | 107 nights | 3°F |
| Emmons County, ND | 66 km west | 186 nights | 112 nights | 1°F |
| Dickey County, ND | 71 km east | 178 nights | 109 nights | 2°F |
| LaMoure County, ND | 79 km northeast | 180 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
McIntosh County within ND
McIntosh County ranks 26 of 53 ND counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rolette County, ND at 137 nights, with a -3°F average winter low. The fewest is Slope County, ND: 100 nights, winter lows near 10°F. At 1,986 ft, McIntosh County sits 252 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,733 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 Ashley, ND, 8 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.