Will Pipes Freeze in Addison County, VT? 82 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Addison County
In a normal year Addison County, VT gets 82 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 83% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 159 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 82 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 44 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 82 nights of risk to 44 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 10/03, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/11 to 04/04.
How cold Addison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°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: 44 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 10°F | 20°F | 32°F | 44°F | 53°F | 59°F | 56°F | 49°F | 38°F | 28°F | 17°F |
Addison County next to its neighbours
Washington County, VT, 50 km northeast, gets 92 nights below 20°F to Addison County's 82 nights. Rutland County, VT, 47 km south, gets 80 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addison County, VT | - | 159 nights | 82 nights | 9°F |
| Rutland County, VT | 47 km south | 163 nights | 80 nights | 8°F |
| Chittenden County, VT | 48 km north | 151 nights | 78 nights | 11°F |
| Washington County, VT | 50 km northeast | 172 nights | 92 nights | 6°F |
| Essex County, NY | 52 km west | 187 nights | 100 nights | 6°F |
| Orange County, VT | 62 km east | 178 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Windsor County, VT | 67 km southeast | 176 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
Addison County within VT
Addison County ranks 9 of 14 VT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Essex County, VT at 106 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Windham County, VT: 77 nights, winter lows near 13°F. At 365 ft, Addison County sits 609 ft below the state's median county elevation of 974 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 Cornwall, VT, 10 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.