Will Pipes Freeze in Webster County, NE? 83 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Webster County
In a normal year Webster County, NE gets 83 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 84% 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 | 159 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 83 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 83 nights of risk to 33 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 10/05, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/02 to 04/02.
How cold Webster County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 33 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 16°F | 25°F | 36°F | 48°F | 59°F | 64°F | 61°F | 51°F | 38°F | 25°F | 16°F |
Webster County next to its neighbours
Adams County, NE, 38 km north, gets 62 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, NE | - | 159 nights | 83 nights | 13°F |
| Adams County, NE | 38 km north | 141 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 38 km east | 143 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
| Franklin County, NE | 39 km west | 152 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Smith County, KS | 50 km southwest | 136 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Jewell County, KS | 51 km southeast | 144 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
| Kearney County, NE | 53 km northwest | 149 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
Webster County within NE
Webster County ranks 22 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 1,909 ft, Webster County sits 100 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 Red Cloud, NE, 9 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.