Will Pipes Freeze in Shawnee County, KS? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Shawnee County
In a normal year Shawnee County, KS gets 42 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 57% 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 | 115 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 14 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 10/22, last around 04/16. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/11.
How cold Shawnee County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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, December: 14 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 24°F | 33°F | 43°F | 55°F | 65°F | 69°F | 66°F | 57°F | 45°F | 33°F | 23°F |
Shawnee County next to its neighbours
Jefferson County, KS, 39 km northeast, gets 47 nights below 20°F to Shawnee County's 42 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee County, KS | - | 115 nights | 42 nights | 19°F |
| Jefferson County, KS | 39 km northeast | 115 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Wabaunsee County, KS | 40 km west | 121 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Jackson County, KS | 41 km north | 130 nights | 56 nights | 15°F |
| Douglas County, KS | 43 km east | 111 nights | 43 nights | 19°F |
| Osage County, KS | 44 km south | 118 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Pottawatomie County, KS | 63 km northwest | 124 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
Shawnee County within KS
Shawnee County ranks 79 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 971 ft, Shawnee County sits 554 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Topeka - Weather Service, KS, 11 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.