Will Pipes Freeze in Minnehaha County, SD? 89 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Minnehaha County
In a normal year Minnehaha County, SD gets 89 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 87% 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 | 159 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 89 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 50 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 25 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 89 nights of risk to 50 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 04/26. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/31.
How cold Minnehaha County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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, November, December: 50 nights a year, and 25 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 12°F | 24°F | 35°F | 48°F | 59°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 38°F | 24°F | 13°F |
Minnehaha County next to its neighbours
Moody County, SD, 40 km north, gets 103 nights below 20°F to Minnehaha County's 89 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County, SD | - | 159 nights | 89 nights | 8°F |
| Moody County, SD | 40 km north | 175 nights | 103 nights | 4°F |
| Rock County, MN | 43 km east | 165 nights | 94 nights | 7°F |
| Lincoln County, SD | 44 km south | 160 nights | 89 nights | 6°F |
| McCook County, SD | 45 km west | 167 nights | 99 nights | 6°F |
| Lake County, SD | 48 km northwest | 167 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Turner County, SD | 49 km southwest | 160 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
Minnehaha County within SD
Minnehaha County ranks 45 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 1,571 ft, Minnehaha County sits 215 ft below 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Sioux Falls Weather Office Airport, SD, 10 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.