Will Pipes Freeze in Oliver County, ND? 117 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Oliver County
In a normal year Oliver County, ND gets 117 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 97% 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 | 117 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 70 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 40 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 117 nights of risk to 70 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 09/29, last around 05/11. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/09.
How cold Oliver County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°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, October, November, December: 70 nights a year, and 40 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4°F | 8°F | 19°F | 32°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 55°F | 46°F | 33°F | 19°F | 9°F |
Oliver County next to its neighbours
McLean County, ND, 60 km north, gets 119 nights below 20°F to Oliver County's 117 nights. Mercer County, ND, 43 km northwest, gets 113 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver County, ND | - | 191 nights | 117 nights | 4°F |
| Mercer County, ND | 43 km northwest | 191 nights | 113 nights | 3°F |
| Morton County, ND | 45 km south | 191 nights | 116 nights | 3°F |
| McLean County, ND | 60 km north | 192 nights | 119 nights | 2°F |
| Burleigh County, ND | 67 km east | 183 nights | 111 nights | 3°F |
| Grant County, ND | 88 km south | 188 nights | 113 nights | 4°F |
| Sheridan County, ND | 91 km northeast | 178 nights | 111 nights | 3°F |
Oliver County within ND
Oliver County ranks 25 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 2,106 ft, Oliver County sits 373 ft above 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 Center (4 mi SE), ND, 11 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.