Will Pipes Freeze in Tripp County, SD? 75 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Tripp County
In a normal year Tripp County, SD gets 75 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 80% 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 | 148 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 75 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 37 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 75 nights of risk to 37 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 10/09, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/03.
How cold Tripp County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 37 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 16°F | 25°F | 35°F | 47°F | 57°F | 64°F | 61°F | 52°F | 39°F | 26°F | 17°F |
Tripp County next to its neighbours
Keya Paha County, NE, 54 km south, gets 86 nights below 20°F to Tripp County's 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tripp County, SD | - | 148 nights | 75 nights | 13°F |
| Keya Paha County, NE | 54 km south | 164 nights | 86 nights | 10°F |
| Gregory County, SD | 58 km east | 164 nights | 87 nights | 10°F |
| Lyman County, SD | 61 km north | 166 nights | 90 nights | 9°F |
| Todd County, SD | 69 km west | 171 nights | 88 nights | 11°F |
| Mellette County, SD | 75 km west | 161 nights | 84 nights | 12°F |
| Brule County, SD | 76 km northeast | 163 nights | 88 nights | 10°F |
Tripp County within SD
Tripp County ranks 66 of 66 SD counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Codington County, SD at 113 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. At 1,991 ft, Tripp County sits 206 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,785 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 Winner, SD, 4 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.