Will Pipes Freeze in Valley County, NE? 85 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Valley County
In a normal year Valley County, NE gets 85 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 85% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 85 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 38 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 85 nights of risk to 38 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 10/03, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 10/30 to 04/04.
How cold Valley 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: 38 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 | 34°F | 46°F | 57°F | 62°F | 60°F | 49°F | 36°F | 23°F | 14°F |
Valley County next to its neighbours
Greeley County, NE, 38 km east, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Valley County's 85 nights. Sherman County, NE, 38 km south, gets 82 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley County, NE | - | 164 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| Greeley County, NE | 38 km east | 169 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Garfield County, NE | 38 km north | 167 nights | 86 nights | 12°F |
| Sherman County, NE | 38 km south | 161 nights | 82 nights | 12°F |
| Howard County, NE | 55 km southeast | 146 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Wheeler County, NE | 55 km northeast | 165 nights | 86 nights | 12°F |
| Loup County, NE | 58 km northwest | 170 nights | 91 nights | 10°F |
Valley County within NE
Valley County ranks 17 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 2,115 ft, Valley County sits 105 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 Ord Evelyn Sharp Field, 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.