Will Pipes Freeze in Clark County, MO? 55 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Clark County
In a normal year Clark County, MO gets 55 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 68% 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 | 125 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 55 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 25 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 55 nights of risk to 25 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 10/22, last around 04/17. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/17.
How cold Clark County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 25 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 19°F | 30°F | 40°F | 52°F | 62°F | 66°F | 64°F | 55°F | 43°F | 31°F | 21°F |
Clark County next to its neighbours
Lee County, IA, 34 km northeast, gets 56 nights below 20°F to Clark County's 55 nights. Lewis County, MO, 36 km south, gets 45 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, MO | - | 125 nights | 55 nights | 15°F |
| Lee County, IA | 34 km northeast | 124 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
| Scotland County, MO | 35 km west | 130 nights | 56 nights | 14°F |
| Lewis County, MO | 36 km south | 116 nights | 45 nights | 18°F |
| Van Buren County, IA | 43 km northwest | 128 nights | 55 nights | 14°F |
| Knox County, MO | 46 km southwest | 121 nights | 50 nights | 17°F |
| Hancock County, IL | 47 km east | 124 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
Clark County within MO
Clark County ranks 18 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 702 ft, Clark County sits 139 ft below 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 Donnellson, IA, 30 km away (fair 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.