Will Pipes Freeze in Armstrong County, PA? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Armstrong County
In a normal year Armstrong County, PA gets 54 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 67% 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 | 140 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 20 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 20 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 10/16, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/31.
How cold Armstrong County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 20 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 26°F | 35°F | 46°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 51°F | 40°F | 30°F | 23°F |
Armstrong County next to its neighbours
Clarion County, PA, 43 km north, gets 64 nights below 20°F to Armstrong County's 54 nights. Indiana County, PA, 36 km southeast, gets 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong County, PA | - | 140 nights | 54 nights | 18°F |
| Indiana County, PA | 36 km southeast | 137 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
| Butler County, PA | 40 km west | 139 nights | 54 nights | 17°F |
| Clarion County, PA | 43 km north | 157 nights | 64 nights | 15°F |
| Jefferson County, PA | 52 km northeast | 147 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 56 km south | 137 nights | 53 nights | 19°F |
| Allegheny County, PA | 58 km southwest | 105 nights | 34 nights | 21°F |
Armstrong County within PA
Armstrong County ranks 26 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 1,005 ft, Armstrong County sits 136 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.
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 Ford City Dam (4 mi S), PA, 12 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.