Will Pipes Freeze in Androscoggin County, ME? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Androscoggin County
In a normal year Androscoggin County, ME 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 77% 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 | 147 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 35 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 35 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 10/19, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/26.
How cold Androscoggin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 35 nights a year, and 12 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 13°F | 22°F | 34°F | 45°F | 55°F | 61°F | 59°F | 51°F | 40°F | 30°F | 20°F |
Androscoggin County next to its neighbours
Sagadahoc County, ME, 40 km southeast, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Androscoggin County's 72 nights. Cumberland County, ME, 41 km south, gets 68 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Androscoggin County, ME | - | 147 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 40 km southeast | 158 nights | 77 nights | 11°F |
| Cumberland County, ME | 41 km south | 145 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Kennebec County, ME | 45 km northeast | 151 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
| Oxford County, ME | 55 km northwest | 179 nights | 95 nights | 6°F |
| Lincoln County, ME | 59 km east | 146 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
| Carroll County, NH | 86 km west | 183 nights | 92 nights | 8°F |
Androscoggin County within ME
Androscoggin County ranks 12 of 16 ME counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, ME at 116 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Knox County, ME: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 264 ft, Androscoggin County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 298 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 Lewiston, ME, 8 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.