Will Pipes Freeze in Thurston County, NE? 80 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Thurston County
In a normal year Thurston County, NE gets 80 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 82% 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 | 153 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 80 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 40 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 80 nights of risk to 40 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 10/06, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/04.
How cold Thurston County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 40 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 25°F | 36°F | 49°F | 60°F | 64°F | 61°F | 52°F | 38°F | 25°F | 15°F |
Thurston County next to its neighbours
Dakota County, NE, 27 km north, gets 82 nights below 20°F to Thurston County's 80 nights. Cuming County, NE, 34 km southwest, gets 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, NE | - | 153 nights | 80 nights | 11°F |
| Dakota County, NE | 27 km north | 157 nights | 82 nights | 10°F |
| Cuming County, NE | 34 km southwest | 153 nights | 78 nights | 11°F |
| Burt County, NE | 37 km southeast | 149 nights | 74 nights | 11°F |
| Dixon County, NE | 45 km northwest | 162 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Woodbury County, IA | 48 km northeast | 157 nights | 82 nights | 9°F |
| Monona County, IA | 49 km east | 149 nights | 76 nights | 9°F |
Thurston County within NE
Thurston County ranks 36 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 1,365 ft, Thurston County sits 645 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.
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 Walthill (1 mi E), NE, 5 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.