Will Pipes Freeze in Wells County, ND? 115 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Wells County
In a normal year Wells County, ND gets 115 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 97% 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 | 185 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 115 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 72 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 44 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 115 nights of risk to 72 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 09/28, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 10/26 to 04/15.
How cold Wells County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 4°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, October, November, December: 72 nights a year, and 44 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1°F | 5°F | 17°F | 29°F | 42°F | 53°F | 57°F | 54°F | 46°F | 33°F | 18°F | 6°F |
Wells County next to its neighbours
Benson County, ND, 60 km northeast, gets 125 nights below 20°F to Wells County's 115 nights. Sheridan County, ND, 49 km west, gets 111 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells County, ND | - | 185 nights | 115 nights | 1°F |
| Sheridan County, ND | 49 km west | 178 nights | 111 nights | 3°F |
| Benson County, ND | 60 km northeast | 192 nights | 125 nights | -2°F |
| Eddy County, ND | 61 km east | 189 nights | 119 nights | -1°F |
| Foster County, ND | 62 km east | 189 nights | 119 nights | -1°F |
| Kidder County, ND | 72 km south | 187 nights | 118 nights | 1°F |
| Pierce County, ND | 76 km north | 192 nights | 128 nights | -4°F |
Wells County within ND
Wells County ranks 30 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 1,661 ft, Wells County sits 72 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.
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 Fessenden, ND, 9 km away (close 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.