Will Pipes Freeze in Ralls County, MO? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Ralls County
In a normal year Ralls County, MO 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 | 118 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 46 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 46 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 Ralls 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, November, 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 | 42°F | 54°F | 63°F | 67°F | 64°F | 56°F | 44°F | 33°F | 23°F |
Ralls County next to its neighbours
Monroe County, MO, 42 km west, gets 49 nights below 20°F to Ralls County's 46 nights. Marion County, MO, 30 km north, gets 45 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralls County, MO | - | 118 nights | 46 nights | 18°F |
| Marion County, MO | 30 km north | 116 nights | 45 nights | 18°F |
| Pike County, MO | 39 km southeast | 117 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Monroe County, MO | 42 km west | 123 nights | 49 nights | 18°F |
| Audrain County, MO | 47 km southwest | 113 nights | 42 nights | 19°F |
| Pike County, IL | 55 km east | 119 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Shelby County, MO | 55 km northwest | 124 nights | 49 nights | 17°F |
Ralls County within MO
Ralls County ranks 34 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 709 ft, Ralls County sits 133 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 Monroe City, MO, 19 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.