Will Pipes Freeze in Ziebach County, SD? 91 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Ziebach County
In a normal year Ziebach County, SD gets 91 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 88% 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 | 171 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 91 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 49 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 24 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 91 nights of risk to 49 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 10/01, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 10/27 to 04/08.
How cold Ziebach County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 49 nights a year, and 24 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 13°F | 22°F | 33°F | 44°F | 54°F | 60°F | 58°F | 49°F | 36°F | 23°F | 13°F |
Ziebach County next to its neighbours
Dewey County, SD, 67 km east, gets 94 nights below 20°F to Ziebach County's 91 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ziebach County, SD | - | 171 nights | 91 nights | 10°F |
| Dewey County, SD | 67 km east | 170 nights | 94 nights | 8°F |
| Haakon County, SD | 79 km south | 172 nights | 93 nights | 10°F |
| Perkins County, SD | 84 km northwest | 173 nights | 93 nights | 9°F |
| Corson County, SD | 86 km northeast | 177 nights | 101 nights | 6°F |
| Meade County, SD | 93 km southwest | 185 nights | 102 nights | 9°F |
| Stanley County, SD | 96 km southeast | 167 nights | 94 nights | 8°F |
Ziebach County within SD
Ziebach County ranks 41 of 66 SD counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Codington County, SD at 113 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Tripp County, SD: 75 nights, winter lows near 15°F. At 2,462 ft, Ziebach County sits 677 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,785 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 Dupree, SD, 8 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.