Will Pipes Freeze in Saline County, NE? 69 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Saline County
In a normal year Saline County, NE gets 69 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 76% 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 | 142 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 69 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 32 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 69 nights of risk to 32 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 10/13, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/29.
How cold Saline County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 32 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 17°F | 27°F | 38°F | 50°F | 60°F | 64°F | 62°F | 53°F | 40°F | 27°F | 18°F |
Saline County next to its neighbours
Lancaster County, NE, 48 km northeast, gets 70 nights below 20°F to Saline County's 69 nights. Jefferson County, NE, 38 km south, gets 67 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, NE | - | 142 nights | 69 nights | 13°F |
| Jefferson County, NE | 38 km south | 144 nights | 67 nights | 14°F |
| Fillmore County, NE | 39 km west | 131 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Seward County, NE | 39 km north | 143 nights | 68 nights | 12°F |
| Lancaster County, NE | 48 km northeast | 144 nights | 70 nights | 14°F |
| Gage County, NE | 48 km southeast | 144 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
| Thayer County, NE | 55 km southwest | 145 nights | 68 nights | 15°F |
Saline County within NE
Saline County ranks 70 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 1,517 ft, Saline County sits 492 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.
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 Friend (3 mi E), NE, 17 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.