Will Pipes Freeze in Walsh County, ND? 113 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Walsh County
In a normal year Walsh County, ND gets 113 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 | 176 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 113 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 77 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 49 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 113 nights of risk to 77 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 10/07, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/08.
How cold Walsh County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 2°F; the coldest month, January, averages -1°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, November, December: 77 nights a year, and 49 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1°F | 3°F | 17°F | 32°F | 45°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 48°F | 35°F | 20°F | 6°F |
Walsh County next to its neighbours
Pembina County, ND, 45 km north, gets 123 nights below 20°F to Walsh County's 113 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walsh County, ND | - | 176 nights | 113 nights | -1°F |
| Pembina County, ND | 45 km north | 189 nights | 123 nights | -4°F |
| Grand Forks County, ND | 54 km south | 186 nights | 118 nights | -3°F |
| Nelson County, ND | 62 km southwest | 191 nights | 126 nights | -4°F |
| Cavalier County, ND | 70 km northwest | 200 nights | 134 nights | -5°F |
| Ramsey County, ND | 76 km west | 190 nights | 124 nights | -3°F |
| Kittson County, MN | 82 km northeast | 187 nights | 124 nights | -4°F |
Walsh County within ND
Walsh County ranks 34 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 972 ft, Walsh County sits 761 ft below 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.
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 Grafton, ND, 22 km away (fair 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.