Will Pipes Freeze in Richardson County, NE? 59 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Richardson County
In a normal year Richardson County, NE gets 59 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 71% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 133 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 59 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 59 nights of risk to 24 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 10/17, last around 04/18. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/18.
How cold Richardson County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 24 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 20°F | 30°F | 41°F | 53°F | 63°F | 66°F | 63°F | 54°F | 42°F | 30°F | 20°F |
Richardson County next to its neighbours
Nemaha County, NE, 31 km north, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Richardson County's 59 nights. Holt County, MO, 43 km east, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richardson County, NE | - | 133 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Nemaha County, NE | 31 km north | 137 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Brown County, KS | 35 km south | 132 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Atchison County, MO | 42 km northeast | 138 nights | 60 nights | 15°F |
| Holt County, MO | 43 km east | 127 nights | 58 nights | 15°F |
| Nemaha County, KS | 44 km southwest | 132 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
| Pawnee County, NE | 45 km west | 137 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
Richardson County within NE
Richardson County ranks 92 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 1,031 ft, Richardson County sits 979 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 Falls City Brenner Field, NE, 12 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.