Will Pipes Freeze in Saunders County, NE? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Saunders County
In a normal year Saunders County, NE gets 72 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 78% 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 | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 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 72 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 04/23. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/25.
How cold Saunders County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 17°F | 27°F | 38°F | 49°F | 61°F | 64°F | 63°F | 53°F | 40°F | 27°F | 17°F |
Saunders County next to its neighbours
Butler County, NE, 41 km west, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Saunders County's 72 nights. Dodge County, NE, 39 km north, gets 70 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saunders County, NE | - | 151 nights | 72 nights | 12°F |
| Dodge County, NE | 39 km north | 143 nights | 70 nights | 13°F |
| Butler County, NE | 41 km west | 147 nights | 73 nights | 12°F |
| Douglas County, NE | 42 km east | 134 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Sarpy County, NE | 46 km east | 136 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Lancaster County, NE | 49 km south | 144 nights | 70 nights | 14°F |
| Washington County, NE | 49 km northeast | 140 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
Saunders County within NE
Saunders County ranks 60 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 1,260 ft, Saunders County sits 750 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 Wahoo, NE, 2 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.