Will Pipes Freeze in Riley County, KS? 55 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Riley County
In a normal year Riley County, KS gets 55 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 68% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 130 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 55 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 55 nights of risk to 19 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 10/20, last around 04/22. For 20°F: 11/14 to 03/20.
How cold Riley County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 19 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 21°F | 31°F | 41°F | 53°F | 63°F | 68°F | 65°F | 56°F | 43°F | 31°F | 21°F |
Riley County next to its neighbours
Marshall County, KS, 57 km north, gets 61 nights below 20°F to Riley County's 55 nights. Geary County, KS, 32 km south, gets 50 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley County, KS | - | 130 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Geary County, KS | 32 km south | 123 nights | 50 nights | 19°F |
| Pottawatomie County, KS | 35 km east | 124 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Clay County, KS | 38 km west | 121 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Marshall County, KS | 57 km north | 139 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| Wabaunsee County, KS | 59 km southeast | 121 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Dickinson County, KS | 60 km southwest | 111 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
Riley County within KS
Riley County ranks 40 of 105 KS counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rawlins County, KS at 83 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Cherokee County, KS: 27 nights, winter lows near 26°F. At 1,298 ft, Riley County sits 228 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,526 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Tuttle Creek Lake, KS, 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.