Will Pipes Freeze in Bedford County, PA? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bedford County
In a normal year Bedford 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 | 144 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 17 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 10/13, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/21.
How cold Bedford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 17 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 27°F | 37°F | 47°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 50°F | 39°F | 30°F | 24°F |
Bedford County next to its neighbours
Somerset County, PA, 46 km west, gets 67 nights below 20°F to Bedford County's 54 nights. Fulton County, PA, 33 km east, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford County, PA | - | 144 nights | 54 nights | 19°F |
| Fulton County, PA | 33 km east | 122 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Somerset County, PA | 46 km west | 148 nights | 67 nights | 16°F |
| Allegany County, MD | 46 km southwest | 114 nights | 33 nights | 22°F |
| Morgan County, WV | 53 km southeast | 121 nights | 39 nights | 21°F |
| Blair County, PA | 58 km north | 126 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Cambria County, PA | 60 km north | 154 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
Bedford County within PA
Bedford County ranks 28 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 1,328 ft, Bedford County sits 187 ft above 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.
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 Wolfsburg, PA, 5 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.