Will Pipes Freeze in Nelson County, ND? 126 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Nelson County
In a normal year Nelson County, ND gets 126 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 98% 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 | 191 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 126 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 85 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 53 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 126 nights of risk to 85 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 05/11. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/15.
How cold Nelson County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 0°F; the coldest month, January, averages -4°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: 85 nights a year, and 53 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -4°F | 0°F | 14°F | 29°F | 42°F | 53°F | 58°F | 55°F | 45°F | 32°F | 18°F | 4°F |
Nelson County next to its neighbours
Griggs County, ND, 51 km south, gets 120 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson County, ND | - | 191 nights | 126 nights | -4°F |
| Griggs County, ND | 51 km south | 187 nights | 120 nights | -2°F |
| Ramsey County, ND | 55 km northwest | 190 nights | 124 nights | -3°F |
| Grand Forks County, ND | 56 km east | 186 nights | 118 nights | -3°F |
| Eddy County, ND | 56 km west | 189 nights | 119 nights | -1°F |
| Walsh County, ND | 62 km northeast | 176 nights | 113 nights | -1°F |
| Steele County, ND | 63 km southeast | 187 nights | 119 nights | -4°F |
Nelson County within ND
Nelson County ranks 8 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 1,499 ft, Nelson County sits 234 ft below 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.
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 Petersburg (2 mi N), ND, 20 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.