Will Pipes Freeze in Wheeler County, NE? 86 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Wheeler County
In a normal year Wheeler County, NE gets 86 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 | 165 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 86 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 17 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 86 nights of risk to 41 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 10/08, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/03.
How cold Wheeler County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°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: 41 nights a year, and 17 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 16°F | 25°F | 35°F | 46°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 51°F | 37°F | 25°F | 16°F |
Wheeler County next to its neighbours
Greeley County, NE, 39 km south, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Wheeler County's 86 nights. Boone County, NE, 45 km southeast, gets 81 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler County, NE | - | 165 nights | 86 nights | 12°F |
| Garfield County, NE | 36 km west | 167 nights | 86 nights | 12°F |
| Greeley County, NE | 39 km south | 169 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Boone County, NE | 45 km southeast | 161 nights | 81 nights | 11°F |
| Antelope County, NE | 48 km northeast | 160 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
| Valley County, NE | 55 km southwest | 164 nights | 85 nights | 12°F |
| Holt County, NE | 64 km north | 162 nights | 84 nights | 11°F |
Wheeler County within NE
Wheeler County ranks 14 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 2,099 ft, Wheeler County sits 90 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 Bartlett (1 mi W), NE, 5 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.