Will Pipes Freeze in Allegany County, NY? 79 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Allegany County
In a normal year Allegany County, NY gets 79 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 82% 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 | 172 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 79 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 38 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 79 nights of risk to 38 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 09/30, last around 05/21. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/15.
How cold Allegany County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 38 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 14°F | 20°F | 30°F | 41°F | 50°F | 54°F | 53°F | 46°F | 36°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Allegany County next to its neighbours
Cattaraugus County, NY, 52 km west, gets 81 nights below 20°F to Allegany County's 79 nights. Steuben County, NY, 53 km east, gets 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County, NY | - | 172 nights | 79 nights | 13°F |
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 52 km west | 171 nights | 81 nights | 13°F |
| Steuben County, NY | 53 km east | 168 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Wyoming County, NY | 53 km north | 157 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Potter County, PA | 57 km south | 164 nights | 76 nights | 14°F |
| Livingston County, NY | 57 km north | 140 nights | 61 nights | 16°F |
| McKean County, PA | 66 km southwest | 161 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
Allegany County within NY
Allegany County ranks 12 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 1,732 ft, Allegany County sits 844 ft above 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.
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 Angelica, NY, 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.