Will Pipes Freeze in DeKalb County, MO? 55 nights a Year
Freeze nights in DeKalb County
In a normal year DeKalb 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 | 23 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 55 nights of risk to 23 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 10/19, last around 04/19. For 20°F: 11/16 to 03/21.
How cold DeKalb County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°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: 23 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 19°F | 29°F | 40°F | 51°F | 61°F | 65°F | 63°F | 54°F | 42°F | 30°F | 21°F |
DeKalb County next to its neighbours
Gentry County, MO, 35 km north, gets 62 nights below 20°F to DeKalb County's 55 nights. Clinton County, MO, 32 km south, gets 52 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, MO | - | 125 nights | 55 nights | 15°F |
| Clinton County, MO | 32 km south | 127 nights | 52 nights | 15°F |
| Gentry County, MO | 35 km north | 133 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Andrew County, MO | 35 km west | 127 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
| Daviess County, MO | 38 km east | 128 nights | 56 nights | 16°F |
| Buchanan County, MO | 43 km southwest | 122 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Caldwell County, MO | 45 km southeast | 139 nights | 65 nights | 16°F |
DeKalb County within MO
DeKalb County ranks 19 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 994 ft, DeKalb County sits 153 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 Amity (4 mi NE), MO, 4 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.