Will Pipes Freeze in McLean County, IL? 57 nights a Year
Freeze nights in McLean County
In a normal year McLean County, IL gets 57 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 70% 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 | 132 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 57 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 57 nights of risk to 24 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 10/16, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/16 to 03/25.
How cold McLean County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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, November, December: 24 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 19°F | 28°F | 38°F | 50°F | 60°F | 63°F | 61°F | 53°F | 42°F | 31°F | 21°F |
McLean County next to its neighbours
Woodford County, IL, 45 km northwest, gets 58 nights below 20°F to McLean County's 57 nights. De Witt County, IL, 35 km south, gets 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLean County, IL | - | 132 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| De Witt County, IL | 35 km south | 123 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Woodford County, IL | 45 km northwest | 134 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Livingston County, IL | 51 km northeast | 124 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Ford County, IL | 54 km east | 132 nights | 55 nights | 16°F |
| Tazewell County, IL | 57 km west | 124 nights | 52 nights | 17°F |
| Piatt County, IL | 58 km south | 123 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
McLean County within IL
McLean County ranks 21 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 820 ft, McLean County sits 189 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 Normal (4 mi NE), IL, 11 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.