Will Pipes Freeze in Jackson County, MO? 40 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Jackson County
In a normal year Jackson County, MO 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 | 105 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 40 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 40 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 10/29, last around 04/07. For 20°F: 11/28 to 03/07.
How cold Jackson 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: 14 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 24°F | 34°F | 44°F | 55°F | 64°F | 69°F | 67°F | 58°F | 46°F | 35°F | 25°F |
Jackson County next to its neighbours
Clay County, MO, 35 km north, gets 53 nights below 20°F to Jackson County's 40 nights. Johnson County, KS, 44 km west, gets 37 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, MO | - | 105 nights | 40 nights | 20°F |
| Clay County, MO | 35 km north | 123 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Wyandotte County, KS | 38 km west | 113 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Cass County, MO | 40 km south | 107 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Johnson County, KS | 44 km west | 101 nights | 37 nights | 20°F |
| Ray County, MO | 45 km northeast | 129 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| Lafayette County, MO | 47 km east | 117 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
Jackson County within MO
Jackson County ranks 54 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 858 ft, Jackson County sits close to 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.
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 Lees Summit Municipal Airport, MO, 6 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.