Will Pipes Freeze in Marion County, MO? 45 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Marion County
In a normal year Marion 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 | 116 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 45 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 45 nights of risk to 19 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 10/22, last around 04/12. For 20°F: 11/24 to 03/12.
How cold Marion County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 19 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 22°F | 32°F | 43°F | 54°F | 63°F | 67°F | 65°F | 56°F | 45°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Marion County next to its neighbours
Ralls County, MO, 30 km south, gets 46 nights below 20°F to Marion County's 45 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, MO | - | 116 nights | 45 nights | 18°F |
| Ralls County, MO | 30 km south | 118 nights | 46 nights | 18°F |
| Lewis County, MO | 32 km north | 116 nights | 45 nights | 18°F |
| Shelby County, MO | 39 km west | 124 nights | 49 nights | 17°F |
| Adams County, IL | 42 km northeast | 113 nights | 44 nights | 18°F |
| Monroe County, MO | 47 km southwest | 123 nights | 49 nights | 18°F |
| Knox County, MO | 57 km northwest | 121 nights | 50 nights | 17°F |
Marion County within MO
Marion County ranks 38 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 647 ft, Marion County sits 195 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.
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 Monroe City, MO, 21 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.