Will Pipes Freeze in Shannon County, MO? 49 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Shannon County
In a normal year Shannon County, MO gets 49 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 63% 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 | 123 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 49 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 49 nights of risk to 13 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 10/19, last around 04/18. For 20°F: 11/17 to 03/14.
How cold Shannon County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 13 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 24°F | 32°F | 41°F | 53°F | 61°F | 65°F | 63°F | 55°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Shannon County next to its neighbours
Reynolds County, MO, 44 km northeast, gets 46 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon County, MO | - | 123 nights | 49 nights | 21°F |
| Reynolds County, MO | 44 km northeast | 118 nights | 46 nights | 22°F |
| Carter County, MO | 46 km southeast | 115 nights | 40 nights | 22°F |
| Dent County, MO | 51 km north | 94 nights | 30 nights | 22°F |
| Oregon County, MO | 52 km south | 110 nights | 42 nights | 22°F |
| Texas County, MO | 54 km west | 108 nights | 34 nights | 24°F |
| Howell County, MO | 61 km southwest | 104 nights | 33 nights | 23°F |
Shannon County within MO
Shannon County ranks 29 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 843 ft, Shannon County sits close to 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 Eminence (1 mi N), MO, 3 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.