Will Pipes Freeze in Platte County, NE? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Platte County
In a normal year Platte County, NE gets 73 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 79% 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 | 150 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 12 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 33 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 10/15, last around 04/21. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/23.
How cold Platte County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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, November, December: 33 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 | 37°F | 49°F | 60°F | 64°F | 62°F | 53°F | 39°F | 26°F | 17°F |
Platte County next to its neighbours
Colfax County, NE, 35 km east, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Platte County's 73 nights. Polk County, NE, 44 km south, gets 69 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platte County, NE | - | 150 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Colfax County, NE | 35 km east | 152 nights | 77 nights | 13°F |
| Madison County, NE | 38 km north | 157 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Polk County, NE | 44 km south | 144 nights | 69 nights | 13°F |
| Nance County, NE | 44 km southwest | 148 nights | 71 nights | 13°F |
| Stanton County, NE | 46 km northeast | 154 nights | 77 nights | 11°F |
| Boone County, NE | 48 km west | 161 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
Platte County within NE
Platte County ranks 58 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 1,673 ft, Platte County sits 337 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.
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 Columbus (3 mi NE), NE, 20 km away (fair 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.