Will Pipes Freeze in Effingham County, IL? 40 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Effingham County
In a normal year Effingham County, IL gets 40 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 56% 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 | 112 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 40 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 15 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 40 nights of risk to 15 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 04/13. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/12.
How cold Effingham County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°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: 15 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 24°F | 33°F | 43°F | 54°F | 63°F | 66°F | 64°F | 56°F | 44°F | 34°F | 26°F |
Effingham County next to its neighbours
Shelby County, IL, 41 km northwest, gets 41 nights below 20°F to Effingham County's 40 nights. Clay County, IL, 35 km south, gets 35 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effingham County, IL | - | 112 nights | 40 nights | 20°F |
| Clay County, IL | 35 km south | 105 nights | 35 nights | 22°F |
| Fayette County, IL | 37 km west | 107 nights | 36 nights | 21°F |
| Jasper County, IL | 38 km east | 106 nights | 36 nights | 22°F |
| Cumberland County, IL | 39 km northeast | 113 nights | 38 nights | 20°F |
| Shelby County, IL | 41 km northwest | 113 nights | 41 nights | 19°F |
| Marion County, IL | 53 km southwest | 102 nights | 34 nights | 21°F |
Effingham County within IL
Effingham County ranks 63 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 568 ft, Effingham County sits 63 ft below 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 Effingham (3 mi SW), IL, 8 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.