Will Pipes Freeze in McKenzie County, ND? 115 nights a Year
Freeze nights in McKenzie County
In a normal year McKenzie County, ND gets 115 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 | 193 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 115 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 66 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 37 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 115 nights of risk to 66 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 09/27, last around 05/09. For 20°F: 10/27 to 04/09.
How cold McKenzie County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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, October, November, December: 66 nights a year, and 37 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 8°F | 19°F | 30°F | 42°F | 52°F | 57°F | 55°F | 45°F | 32°F | 20°F | 9°F |
McKenzie County next to its neighbours
Dunn County, ND, 73 km southeast, gets 116 nights below 20°F to McKenzie County's 115 nights. Williams County, ND, 69 km north, gets 113 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie County, ND | - | 193 nights | 115 nights | 5°F |
| Williams County, ND | 69 km north | 187 nights | 113 nights | 2°F |
| Dunn County, ND | 73 km southeast | 194 nights | 116 nights | 0°F |
| Billings County, ND | 82 km south | 183 nights | 103 nights | 6°F |
| Richland County, MT | 87 km west | 181 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
| Mountrail County, ND | 93 km northeast | 202 nights | 127 nights | 0°F |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 95 km south | 185 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
McKenzie County within ND
McKenzie County ranks 31 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 2,191 ft, McKenzie County sits 458 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.
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 Watford City, ND, 11 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.