Will Pipes Freeze in Putnam County, MO? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Putnam County
In a normal year Putnam County, MO gets 61 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 72% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 nights of risk to 28 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 04/17. For 20°F: 11/16 to 03/21.
How cold Putnam County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 28 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 18°F | 29°F | 39°F | 52°F | 61°F | 66°F | 64°F | 55°F | 43°F | 30°F | 20°F |
Putnam County next to its neighbours
Sullivan County, MO, 31 km south, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Putnam County's 61 nights. Schuyler County, MO, 42 km east, gets 57 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, MO | - | 134 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| Sullivan County, MO | 31 km south | 132 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Appanoose County, IA | 32 km north | 132 nights | 61 nights | 12°F |
| Wayne County, IA | 40 km northwest | 141 nights | 69 nights | 13°F |
| Schuyler County, MO | 42 km east | 128 nights | 57 nights | 15°F |
| Mercer County, MO | 47 km west | 127 nights | 56 nights | 15°F |
| Adair County, MO | 47 km southeast | 126 nights | 55 nights | 15°F |
Putnam County within MO
Putnam County ranks 6 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 1,051 ft, Putnam County sits 209 ft above 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.
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 Unionville, MO, 1 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.