Will Pipes Freeze in Albany County, NY? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Albany County
In a normal year Albany County, NY gets 72 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 78% 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 | 153 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 12 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 nights of risk to 34 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 10/12, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/18 to 04/01.
How cold Albany County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°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: 34 nights a year, and 12 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 13°F | 22°F | 34°F | 45°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 29°F | 20°F |
Albany County next to its neighbours
Greene County, NY, 36 km southwest, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Albany County's 72 nights. Columbia County, NY, 47 km southeast, gets 67 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany County, NY | - | 153 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Schenectady County, NY | 26 km north | 151 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Greene County, NY | 36 km southwest | 180 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Schoharie County, NY | 38 km west | 156 nights | 76 nights | 12°F |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 40 km east | 153 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Columbia County, NY | 47 km southeast | 149 nights | 67 nights | 15°F |
| Montgomery County, NY | 51 km northwest | 150 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
Albany County within NY
Albany County ranks 25 of 62 NY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, NY at 107 nights, with a 7°F average winter low. The fewest is Bronx County, NY: 16 nights, winter lows near 30°F. At 866 ft, Albany County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 888 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 Alcove Dam, NY, 14 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.