Will Pipes Freeze in Richland County, ND? 109 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Richland County
In a normal year Richland County, ND gets 109 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 95% 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 | 175 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 109 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 70 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 41 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 109 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 05/06. For 20°F: 10/28 to 04/09.
How cold Richland County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 4°F; the coldest month, January, averages 0°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, November, December: 70 nights a year, and 41 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0°F | 4°F | 17°F | 31°F | 45°F | 56°F | 60°F | 57°F | 48°F | 35°F | 21°F | 8°F |
Richland County next to its neighbours
Wilkin County, MN, 37 km east, gets 112 nights below 20°F to Richland County's 109 nights. Traverse County, MN, 66 km southeast, gets 102 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County, ND | - | 175 nights | 109 nights | 0°F |
| Wilkin County, MN | 37 km east | 178 nights | 112 nights | -1°F |
| Sargent County, ND | 56 km west | 178 nights | 112 nights | -1°F |
| Ransom County, ND | 58 km west | 182 nights | 111 nights | 0°F |
| Traverse County, MN | 66 km southeast | 167 nights | 102 nights | 2°F |
| Roberts County, SD | 71 km south | 169 nights | 100 nights | 4°F |
| Marshall County, SD | 77 km southwest | 173 nights | 110 nights | 2°F |
Richland County within ND
Richland County ranks 48 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 989 ft, Richland County sits 744 ft below 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.
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 Mc Leod (3 mi E), ND, 27 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.