Will Pipes Freeze in Whiteside County, IL? 67 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Whiteside County
In a normal year Whiteside County, IL gets 67 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 75% 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 | 144 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 67 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 67 nights of risk to 33 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 10/13, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/13 to 03/23.
How cold Whiteside County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 33 nights a year, and 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 16°F | 27°F | 37°F | 49°F | 59°F | 62°F | 60°F | 52°F | 40°F | 29°F | 19°F |
Whiteside County next to its neighbours
Carroll County, IL, 36 km north, gets 72 nights below 20°F to Whiteside County's 67 nights. Henry County, IL, 48 km south, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteside County, IL | - | 144 nights | 67 nights | 12°F |
| Carroll County, IL | 36 km north | 150 nights | 72 nights | 12°F |
| Henry County, IL | 48 km south | 131 nights | 58 nights | 14°F |
| Bureau County, IL | 50 km southeast | 128 nights | 55 nights | 14°F |
| Lee County, IL | 51 km east | 145 nights | 66 nights | 13°F |
| Clinton County, IA | 54 km west | 141 nights | 66 nights | 13°F |
| Ogle County, IL | 59 km northeast | 140 nights | 65 nights | 13°F |
Whiteside County within IL
Whiteside County ranks 5 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 652 ft, Whiteside 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.
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 Morrison, IL, 7 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.