Will Pipes Freeze in Phelps County, NE? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Phelps County
In a normal year Phelps 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 | 153 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 31 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 nights of risk to 31 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 05/02. For 20°F: 11/05 to 03/30.
How cold Phelps County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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: 31 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 16°F | 25°F | 35°F | 47°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 17°F |
Phelps County next to its neighbours
Gosper County, NE, 35 km west, gets 75 nights below 20°F to Phelps County's 72 nights. Harlan County, NE, 38 km south, gets 71 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phelps County, NE | - | 153 nights | 72 nights | 14°F |
| Gosper County, NE | 35 km west | 154 nights | 75 nights | 14°F |
| Harlan County, NE | 38 km south | 150 nights | 71 nights | 15°F |
| Kearney County, NE | 39 km east | 149 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Buffalo County, NE | 47 km northeast | 157 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Dawson County, NE | 52 km northwest | 157 nights | 75 nights | 15°F |
| Franklin County, NE | 53 km southeast | 152 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
Phelps County within NE
Phelps County ranks 59 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 2,343 ft, Phelps County sits 334 ft above 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.
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 Holdrege, NE, 8 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.