Will Pipes Freeze in Adams County, IL? 44 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Adams County
In a normal year Adams County, IL gets 44 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 60% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 113 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 44 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 44 nights of risk to 18 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 10/23, last around 04/14. For 20°F: 11/22 to 03/14.
How cold Adams County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 18 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 23°F | 32°F | 43°F | 54°F | 63°F | 66°F | 64°F | 56°F | 45°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Adams County next to its neighbours
Brown County, IL, 38 km east, gets 49 nights below 20°F to Adams County's 44 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, IL | - | 113 nights | 44 nights | 18°F |
| Brown County, IL | 38 km east | 124 nights | 49 nights | 17°F |
| Marion County, MO | 42 km southwest | 116 nights | 45 nights | 18°F |
| Hancock County, IL | 46 km north | 124 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Lewis County, MO | 47 km west | 116 nights | 45 nights | 18°F |
| Pike County, IL | 48 km southeast | 119 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Schuyler County, IL | 53 km east | 121 nights | 49 nights | 17°F |
Adams County within IL
Adams County ranks 54 of 102 IL counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Jo Daviess County, IL at 76 nights, with a 14°F average winter low. The fewest is Alexander County, IL: 21 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 744 ft, Adams County sits 113 ft above the state's median county elevation of 632 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 Quincy Regional Airport, IL, 6 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.