Will Pipes Freeze in Henry County, MO? 45 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Henry County
In a normal year Henry County, MO gets 45 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 60% 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 | 117 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 45 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 45 nights of risk to 14 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 10/21, last around 04/17. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/13.
How cold Henry County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 14 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 23°F | 33°F | 43°F | 54°F | 64°F | 67°F | 65°F | 56°F | 44°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Henry County next to its neighbours
St. Clair County, MO, 38 km south, gets 31 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County, MO | - | 117 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| St. Clair County, MO | 38 km south | 98 nights | 31 nights | 21°F |
| Johnson County, MO | 40 km north | 118 nights | 45 nights | 18°F |
| Benton County, MO | 45 km east | 107 nights | 37 nights | 21°F |
| Bates County, MO | 50 km west | 111 nights | 39 nights | 20°F |
| Cass County, MO | 57 km northwest | 107 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Pettis County, MO | 58 km northeast | 114 nights | 42 nights | 20°F |
Henry County within MO
Henry County ranks 39 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 783 ft, Henry County sits 59 ft below 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 Clinton, MO, 2 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.