Will Pipes Freeze in Worth County, MO? 64 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Worth County
In a normal year Worth County, MO gets 64 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 74% 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 | 137 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 64 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 64 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 10/14, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/10 to 03/28.
How cold Worth County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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, November, December: 28 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 17°F | 28°F | 39°F | 51°F | 61°F | 65°F | 63°F | 53°F | 41°F | 28°F | 18°F |
Worth County next to its neighbours
Ringgold County, IA, 32 km northeast, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Worth County's 64 nights. Gentry County, MO, 30 km south, gets 62 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worth County, MO | - | 137 nights | 64 nights | 13°F |
| Gentry County, MO | 30 km south | 133 nights | 62 nights | 15°F |
| Ringgold County, IA | 32 km northeast | 143 nights | 69 nights | 12°F |
| Taylor County, IA | 37 km northwest | 139 nights | 67 nights | 12°F |
| Harrison County, MO | 39 km east | 132 nights | 59 nights | 15°F |
| Nodaway County, MO | 41 km west | 136 nights | 62 nights | 14°F |
| Decatur County, IA | 61 km northeast | 138 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
Worth County within MO
Worth County ranks 2 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 1,036 ft, Worth County sits 195 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Grant City, 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.