Will Pipes Freeze in Morton County, KS? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Morton County
In a normal year Morton County, KS gets 54 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 67% 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 | 142 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 12 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 12 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 10/19, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/27.
How cold Morton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 12 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 28°F | 37°F | 48°F | 59°F | 64°F | 62°F | 54°F | 40°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Morton County next to its neighbours
Grant County, KS, 60 km northeast, gets 67 nights below 20°F to Morton County's 54 nights. Stanton County, KS, 42 km north, gets 50 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morton County, KS | - | 142 nights | 54 nights | 19°F |
| Stanton County, KS | 42 km north | 136 nights | 50 nights | 20°F |
| Stevens County, KS | 44 km east | 132 nights | 47 nights | 20°F |
| Texas County, OK | 57 km southeast | 123 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Grant County, KS | 60 km northeast | 149 nights | 67 nights | 17°F |
| Baca County, CO | 66 km west | 149 nights | 63 nights | 17°F |
| Cimarron County, OK | 79 km southwest | 136 nights | 49 nights | 20°F |
Morton County within KS
Morton County ranks 42 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 3,429 ft, Morton County sits 1,903 ft above 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 Richfield, KS, 9 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.