Will Pipes Freeze in Henry County, IL? 58 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Henry County
In a normal year Henry County, IL gets 58 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 70% 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 | 131 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 58 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 58 nights of risk to 28 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 10/20, last around 04/20. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/19.
How cold Henry County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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: 28 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 18°F | 29°F | 39°F | 51°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 54°F | 42°F | 30°F | 20°F |
Henry County next to its neighbours
Stark County, IL, 40 km southeast, gets 64 nights below 20°F to Henry County's 58 nights. Rock Island County, IL, 39 km west, gets 55 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County, IL | - | 131 nights | 58 nights | 14°F |
| Rock Island County, IL | 39 km west | 126 nights | 55 nights | 14°F |
| Stark County, IL | 40 km southeast | 141 nights | 64 nights | 14°F |
| Knox County, IL | 47 km south | 135 nights | 59 nights | 14°F |
| Whiteside County, IL | 48 km north | 144 nights | 67 nights | 12°F |
| Bureau County, IL | 51 km east | 128 nights | 55 nights | 14°F |
| Scott County, IA | 52 km northwest | 136 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
Henry County within IL
Henry County ranks 17 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 692 ft, Henry County sits 61 ft above 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Geneseo, IL, 11 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.