Will Pipes Freeze in Kane County, IL? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Kane County
In a normal year Kane County, IL gets 61 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 72% 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 | 138 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 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 10/19, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/20.
How cold Kane County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, 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 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 18°F | 28°F | 37°F | 49°F | 59°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 41°F | 30°F | 21°F |
Kane County next to its neighbours
DeKalb County, IL, 29 km west, gets 64 nights below 20°F to Kane County's 61 nights. DuPage County, IL, 30 km east, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kane County, IL | - | 138 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| DeKalb County, IL | 29 km west | 141 nights | 64 nights | 13°F |
| DuPage County, IL | 30 km east | 136 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Kendall County, IL | 39 km south | 136 nights | 59 nights | 15°F |
| McHenry County, IL | 43 km north | 139 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Boone County, IL | 53 km northwest | 146 nights | 70 nights | 12°F |
| Lake County, IL | 58 km northeast | 127 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
Kane County within IL
Kane County ranks 13 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 883 ft, Kane County sits 251 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is West Chicago Dupage Airport, IL, 15 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.