Will Pipes Freeze in Niobrara County, WY? 92 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Niobrara County
In a normal year Niobrara County, WY gets 92 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 88% 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 | 179 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 92 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 43 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 18 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 92 nights of risk to 43 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 09/25, last around 05/17. For 20°F: 10/23 to 04/14.
How cold Niobrara County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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: 43 nights a year, and 18 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 15°F | 23°F | 31°F | 41°F | 50°F | 57°F | 55°F | 45°F | 32°F | 21°F | 12°F |
Niobrara County next to its neighbours
Fall River County, SD, 80 km east, gets 96 nights below 20°F to Niobrara County's 92 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niobrara County, WY | - | 179 nights | 92 nights | 12°F |
| Fall River County, SD | 80 km east | 182 nights | 96 nights | 12°F |
| Converse County, WY | 86 km west | 182 nights | 92 nights | 13°F |
| Weston County, WY | 88 km north | 186 nights | 102 nights | 10°F |
| Sioux County, NE | 89 km southeast | 202 nights | 114 nights | 11°F |
| Custer County, SD | 107 km northeast | 192 nights | 98 nights | 13°F |
| Goshen County, WY | 109 km south | 188 nights | 102 nights | 13°F |
Niobrara County within WY
Niobrara County ranks 19 of 23 WY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sublette County, WY at 165 nights, with a 1°F average winter low. The fewest is Platte County, WY: 69 nights, winter lows near 16°F. At 4,464 ft, Niobrara County sits 833 ft below the state's median county elevation of 5,297 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 Lance Creek (11 mi NNE), WY, 17 km away (fair 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.