Will Pipes Freeze in Macon County, IL? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Macon County
In a normal year Macon County, IL gets 41 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 | 111 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 16 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 16 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 10/24, last around 04/14. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/15.
How cold Macon 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: 16 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 24°F | 33°F | 43°F | 54°F | 63°F | 66°F | 65°F | 57°F | 45°F | 34°F | 25°F |
Macon County next to its neighbours
Piatt County, IL, 36 km northeast, gets 47 nights below 20°F to Macon County's 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County, IL | - | 111 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Piatt County, IL | 36 km northeast | 123 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| De Witt County, IL | 36 km north | 123 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Moultrie County, IL | 38 km southeast | 119 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Christian County, IL | 44 km southwest | 117 nights | 42 nights | 19°F |
| Logan County, IL | 46 km northwest | 126 nights | 50 nights | 18°F |
| Shelby County, IL | 55 km south | 113 nights | 41 nights | 19°F |
Macon County within IL
Macon County ranks 61 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 677 ft, Macon County sits close to 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 Decatur Water Plant, IL, 4 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.