Will Pipes Freeze in Buchanan County, MO? 51 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Buchanan County
In a normal year Buchanan County, MO gets 51 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 65% 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 | 122 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 51 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 51 nights of risk to 20 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 10/17, last around 04/19. For 20°F: 11/14 to 03/19.
How cold Buchanan County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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, November, December: 20 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 21°F | 31°F | 42°F | 54°F | 64°F | 68°F | 65°F | 56°F | 44°F | 31°F | 22°F |
Buchanan County next to its neighbours
Doniphan County, KS, 32 km northwest, gets 52 nights below 20°F to Buchanan County's 51 nights. Platte County, MO, 32 km south, gets 42 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, MO | - | 122 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Platte County, MO | 32 km south | 109 nights | 42 nights | 19°F |
| Doniphan County, KS | 32 km northwest | 121 nights | 52 nights | 17°F |
| Clinton County, MO | 36 km east | 127 nights | 52 nights | 15°F |
| Andrew County, MO | 37 km north | 127 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
| DeKalb County, MO | 43 km northeast | 125 nights | 55 nights | 15°F |
| Atchison County, KS | 46 km west | 116 nights | 47 nights | 17°F |
Buchanan County within MO
Buchanan County ranks 24 of 115 MO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Caldwell County, MO at 65 nights, with a 19°F average winter low. The fewest is Pemiscot County, MO: 14 nights, winter lows near 31°F. At 1,033 ft, Buchanan County sits 191 ft above the state's median county elevation of 842 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 St Joseph Rosecrans Airport, MO, 16 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.