Will Pipes Freeze in Adams County, PA? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Adams County
In a normal year Adams County, PA gets 41 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 57% 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 | 122 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 10 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 10 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 10/21, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/24 to 03/14.
How cold Adams 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: 10 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 22°F | 30°F | 40°F | 49°F | 58°F | 63°F | 61°F | 54°F | 43°F | 33°F | 26°F |
Adams County next to its neighbours
Cumberland County, PA, 33 km north, gets 36 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, PA | - | 122 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Cumberland County, PA | 33 km north | 119 nights | 36 nights | 21°F |
| Carroll County, MD | 38 km southeast | 112 nights | 35 nights | 22°F |
| York County, PA | 42 km east | 120 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
| Franklin County, PA | 44 km west | 108 nights | 31 nights | 23°F |
| Frederick County, MD | 47 km south | 90 nights | 23 nights | 26°F |
| Perry County, PA | 59 km north | 115 nights | 37 nights | 21°F |
Adams County within PA
Adams County ranks 49 of 67 PA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Susquehanna County, PA at 80 nights, with a 15°F average winter low. The fewest is Delaware County, PA: 15 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 507 ft, Adams County sits 635 ft below the state's median county elevation of 1,141 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 Eisenhower Nhs, PA, 7 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.