Will Pipes Freeze in Platte County, MO? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Platte County
In a normal year Platte County, MO gets 42 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 57% 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 | 109 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 15 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 15 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 04/13. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/12.
How cold Platte 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: 15 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 23°F | 33°F | 43°F | 54°F | 64°F | 68°F | 67°F | 58°F | 45°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Platte County next to its neighbours
Wyandotte County, KS, 29 km south, gets 45 nights below 20°F to Platte County's 42 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platte County, MO | - | 109 nights | 42 nights | 19°F |
| Wyandotte County, KS | 29 km south | 113 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Clay County, MO | 30 km east | 123 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Buchanan County, MO | 32 km north | 122 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 32 km southwest | 126 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
| Clinton County, MO | 40 km northeast | 127 nights | 52 nights | 15°F |
| Atchison County, KS | 50 km west | 116 nights | 47 nights | 17°F |
Platte County within MO
Platte County ranks 48 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 777 ft, Platte County sits 65 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Kansas City International Airport, MO, 9 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.