Will Pipes Freeze in Moultrie County, IL? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Moultrie County
In a normal year Moultrie County, IL gets 46 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 61% 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 | 119 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 46 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 46 nights of risk to 18 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 04/15. For 20°F: 11/24 to 03/15.
How cold Moultrie County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 18 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 22°F | 31°F | 42°F | 53°F | 63°F | 65°F | 63°F | 55°F | 44°F | 33°F | 25°F |
Moultrie County next to its neighbours
Piatt County, IL, 41 km north, gets 47 nights below 20°F to Moultrie County's 46 nights. Shelby County, IL, 32 km southwest, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moultrie County, IL | - | 119 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Shelby County, IL | 32 km southwest | 113 nights | 41 nights | 19°F |
| Coles County, IL | 37 km east | 106 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
| Douglas County, IL | 37 km northeast | 117 nights | 43 nights | 18°F |
| Macon County, IL | 38 km northwest | 111 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Piatt County, IL | 41 km north | 123 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Cumberland County, IL | 52 km southeast | 113 nights | 38 nights | 20°F |
Moultrie County within IL
Moultrie County ranks 49 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 675 ft, Moultrie 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.
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 Sullivan (3 mi S), IL, 9 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.