Will Pipes Freeze in Stark County, ND? 112 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Stark County
In a normal year Stark County, ND gets 112 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 96% 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 | 192 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 112 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 64 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 35 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 112 nights of risk to 64 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 09/25, last around 05/18. For 20°F: 10/20 to 04/17.
How cold Stark County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 5°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, April, October, November, December: 64 nights a year, and 35 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5°F | 8°F | 18°F | 29°F | 40°F | 50°F | 55°F | 53°F | 44°F | 31°F | 19°F | 9°F |
Stark County next to its neighbours
Hettinger County, ND, 45 km south, gets 115 nights below 20°F to Stark County's 112 nights. Billings County, ND, 57 km west, gets 103 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stark County, ND | - | 192 nights | 112 nights | 5°F |
| Hettinger County, ND | 45 km south | 194 nights | 115 nights | 4°F |
| Billings County, ND | 57 km west | 183 nights | 103 nights | 6°F |
| Dunn County, ND | 60 km north | 194 nights | 116 nights | 0°F |
| Slope County, ND | 74 km southwest | 182 nights | 100 nights | 7°F |
| Adams County, ND | 81 km south | 199 nights | 118 nights | 5°F |
| Mercer County, ND | 83 km northeast | 191 nights | 113 nights | 3°F |
Stark County within ND
Stark County ranks 42 of 53 ND counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rolette County, ND at 137 nights, with a -3°F average winter low. The fewest is Slope County, ND: 100 nights, winter lows near 10°F. At 2,524 ft, Stark County sits 791 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,733 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Theodore Roosevelt Airport, ND, 11 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.