Will Pipes Freeze in Jo Daviess County, IL? 76 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Jo Daviess County
In a normal year Jo Daviess County, IL gets 76 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 80% 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 | 154 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 76 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 39 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 76 nights of risk to 39 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 10/09, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/28.
How cold Jo Daviess County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 39 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 14°F | 25°F | 36°F | 47°F | 58°F | 61°F | 59°F | 50°F | 39°F | 28°F | 17°F |
Jo Daviess County next to its neighbours
Lafayette County, WI, 33 km north, gets 79 nights below 20°F to Jo Daviess County's 76 nights. Jackson County, IA, 37 km southwest, gets 73 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Daviess County, IL | - | 154 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
| Lafayette County, WI | 33 km north | 157 nights | 79 nights | 9°F |
| Jackson County, IA | 37 km southwest | 150 nights | 73 nights | 11°F |
| Carroll County, IL | 40 km southeast | 150 nights | 72 nights | 12°F |
| Stephenson County, IL | 45 km east | 147 nights | 70 nights | 11°F |
| Dubuque County, IA | 56 km west | 144 nights | 70 nights | 11°F |
| Clinton County, IA | 58 km southwest | 141 nights | 66 nights | 13°F |
Jo Daviess County within IL
Jo Daviess County ranks 1 of 102 IL counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Alexander County, IL: 21 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 762 ft, Jo Daviess County sits 130 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.
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 Elizabeth, IL, 5 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.