Will Pipes Freeze in Washington County, KS? 56 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washington County
In a normal year Washington County, KS gets 56 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 69% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 131 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 56 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 21 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 56 nights of risk to 21 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 10/14, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/08 to 03/27.
How cold Washington County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 21 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 18°F | 28°F | 39°F | 52°F | 62°F | 67°F | 64°F | 55°F | 41°F | 28°F | 19°F |
Washington County next to its neighbours
Jefferson County, NE, 45 km north, gets 67 nights below 20°F to Washington County's 56 nights. Clay County, KS, 48 km south, gets 47 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, KS | - | 131 nights | 56 nights | 15°F |
| Jefferson County, NE | 45 km north | 144 nights | 67 nights | 14°F |
| Republic County, KS | 48 km west | 133 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| Clay County, KS | 48 km south | 121 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Marshall County, KS | 49 km east | 139 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| Cloud County, KS | 57 km southwest | 128 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Thayer County, NE | 61 km northwest | 145 nights | 68 nights | 15°F |
Washington County within KS
Washington County ranks 39 of 105 KS counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Rawlins County, KS at 83 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Cherokee County, KS: 27 nights, winter lows near 26°F. At 1,429 ft, Washington County sits 96 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,526 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Washington, KS, 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.