Will Pipes Freeze in Christian County, IL? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Christian County
In a normal year Christian County, IL gets 42 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 58% 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 | 117 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 17 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 10/20, last around 04/12. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/13.
How cold Christian County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 17 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 23°F | 32°F | 42°F | 54°F | 63°F | 66°F | 63°F | 56°F | 44°F | 33°F | 25°F |
Christian County next to its neighbours
Sangamon County, IL, 40 km northwest, gets 45 nights below 20°F to Christian County's 42 nights. Montgomery County, IL, 39 km southwest, gets 35 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian County, IL | - | 117 nights | 42 nights | 19°F |
| Montgomery County, IL | 39 km southwest | 103 nights | 35 nights | 21°F |
| Sangamon County, IL | 40 km northwest | 113 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Macon County, IL | 44 km northeast | 111 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Shelby County, IL | 45 km southeast | 113 nights | 41 nights | 19°F |
| Moultrie County, IL | 57 km east | 119 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Macoupin County, IL | 64 km southwest | 109 nights | 39 nights | 19°F |
Christian County within IL
Christian County ranks 58 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 592 ft, Christian County sits close to 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 Morrisonville, IL, 21 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.