Will Pipes Freeze in Fulton County, IL? 56 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fulton County
In a normal year Fulton County, IL gets 56 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 69% 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 | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 56 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 26 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 56 nights of risk to 26 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 04/17. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/17.
How cold Fulton 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: 26 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 19°F | 29°F | 40°F | 52°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 53°F | 42°F | 31°F | 21°F |
Fulton County next to its neighbours
McDonough County, IL, 40 km west, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Fulton County's 56 nights. Mason County, IL, 35 km southeast, gets 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, IL | - | 134 nights | 56 nights | 15°F |
| Mason County, IL | 35 km southeast | 128 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| McDonough County, IL | 40 km west | 134 nights | 58 nights | 15°F |
| Schuyler County, IL | 49 km southwest | 121 nights | 49 nights | 17°F |
| Peoria County, IL | 51 km northeast | 127 nights | 54 nights | 17°F |
| Knox County, IL | 52 km north | 135 nights | 59 nights | 14°F |
| Cass County, IL | 55 km south | 124 nights | 49 nights | 18°F |
Fulton County within IL
Fulton County ranks 22 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 559 ft, Fulton County sits 72 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 Havana, IL, 22 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.