Will Pipes Freeze in Clinton County, MO? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Clinton County
In a normal year Clinton County, MO gets 52 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 66% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 127 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 22 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 nights of risk to 22 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 10/24, last around 04/15. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/16.
How cold Clinton 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: 22 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 19°F | 31°F | 40°F | 52°F | 63°F | 67°F | 65°F | 55°F | 43°F | 31°F | 21°F |
Clinton County next to its neighbours
DeKalb County, MO, 32 km north, gets 55 nights below 20°F to Clinton County's 52 nights. Buchanan County, MO, 36 km west, gets 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton County, MO | - | 127 nights | 52 nights | 15°F |
| DeKalb County, MO | 32 km north | 125 nights | 55 nights | 15°F |
| Clay County, MO | 33 km south | 123 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Buchanan County, MO | 36 km west | 122 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Caldwell County, MO | 36 km east | 139 nights | 65 nights | 16°F |
| Platte County, MO | 40 km southwest | 109 nights | 42 nights | 19°F |
| Ray County, MO | 48 km southeast | 129 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
Clinton County within MO
Clinton County ranks 23 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 988 ft, Clinton County sits 146 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 Cameron, MO, 20 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.