Will Pipes Freeze in Sherman County, NE? 82 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Sherman County
In a normal year Sherman County, NE gets 82 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 83% 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 | 161 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 82 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 35 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 82 nights of risk to 35 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 10/08, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/01.
How cold Sherman County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°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: 35 nights a year, and 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 15°F | 25°F | 35°F | 46°F | 58°F | 63°F | 60°F | 50°F | 37°F | 24°F | 16°F |
Sherman County next to its neighbours
Valley County, NE, 38 km north, gets 85 nights below 20°F to Sherman County's 82 nights. Howard County, NE, 38 km east, gets 66 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman County, NE | - | 161 nights | 82 nights | 12°F |
| Valley County, NE | 38 km north | 164 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| Howard County, NE | 38 km east | 146 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Buffalo County, NE | 41 km south | 157 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Greeley County, NE | 54 km northeast | 169 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Hall County, NE | 56 km southeast | 144 nights | 64 nights | 16°F |
| Custer County, NE | 66 km west | 173 nights | 90 nights | 13°F |
Sherman County within NE
Sherman County ranks 29 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 2,162 ft, Sherman County sits 152 ft above 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 Loup City, NE, 7 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.