Will Pipes Freeze in Otoe County, NE? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Otoe County
In a normal year Otoe County, NE gets 72 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 78% 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 | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 32 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 12 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 nights of risk to 32 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 10/11, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/28.
How cold Otoe County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 32 nights a year, and 12 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 17°F | 27°F | 38°F | 50°F | 61°F | 65°F | 63°F | 53°F | 40°F | 27°F | 18°F |
Otoe County next to its neighbours
Johnson County, NE, 29 km southwest, gets 69 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otoe County, NE | - | 146 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Johnson County, NE | 29 km southwest | 144 nights | 69 nights | 13°F |
| Cass County, NE | 30 km north | 139 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Nemaha County, NE | 36 km southeast | 137 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Fremont County, IA | 46 km east | 135 nights | 62 nights | 13°F |
| Lancaster County, NE | 50 km west | 144 nights | 70 nights | 14°F |
| Sarpy County, NE | 53 km north | 136 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
Otoe County within NE
Otoe County ranks 63 of 93 NE counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sioux County, NE at 114 nights, with a 11°F average winter low. The fewest is Fillmore County, NE: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 1,161 ft, Otoe County sits 848 ft below the state's median county elevation of 2,010 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 Syracuse, NE, 6 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.