Will Pipes Freeze in Meade County, SD? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Meade County
In a normal year Meade County, SD gets 102 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 93% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in December.
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 | 102 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 52 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 25 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 102 nights of risk to 52 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 09/26, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 10/20 to 04/16.
How cold Meade County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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: 52 nights a year, and 25 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 11°F | 21°F | 30°F | 41°F | 52°F | 58°F | 55°F | 45°F | 32°F | 20°F | 11°F |
Meade County next to its neighbours
Pennington County, SD, 68 km south, gets 83 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meade County, SD | - | 185 nights | 102 nights | 9°F |
| Pennington County, SD | 68 km south | 167 nights | 83 nights | 13°F |
| Butte County, SD | 70 km northwest | 177 nights | 95 nights | 10°F |
| Lawrence County, SD | 91 km west | 195 nights | 100 nights | 13°F |
| Ziebach County, SD | 93 km northeast | 171 nights | 91 nights | 10°F |
| Perkins County, SD | 100 km north | 173 nights | 93 nights | 9°F |
| Haakon County, SD | 100 km east | 172 nights | 93 nights | 10°F |
Meade County within SD
Meade County ranks 19 of 66 SD counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Codington County, SD at 113 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Tripp County, SD: 75 nights, winter lows near 15°F. At 3,047 ft, Meade County sits 1,262 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,785 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 Red Owl, SD, 16 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.