Will Pipes Freeze in Belknap County, NH? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Belknap County
In a normal year Belknap County, NH 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 | 152 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 | 11 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 10/18, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/22 to 03/31.
How cold Belknap County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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: 34 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 13°F | 22°F | 33°F | 45°F | 55°F | 60°F | 58°F | 51°F | 40°F | 30°F | 20°F |
Belknap County next to its neighbours
Merrimack County, NH, 32 km southwest, gets 80 nights below 20°F to Belknap County's 72 nights. Strafford County, NH, 40 km southeast, gets 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belknap County, NH | - | 152 nights | 72 nights | 12°F |
| Merrimack County, NH | 32 km southwest | 172 nights | 80 nights | 12°F |
| Strafford County, NH | 40 km southeast | 146 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
| Carroll County, NH | 43 km northeast | 183 nights | 92 nights | 8°F |
| Grafton County, NH | 56 km northwest | 179 nights | 91 nights | 7°F |
| York County, ME | 62 km east | 156 nights | 70 nights | 11°F |
| Rockingham County, NH | 65 km southeast | 154 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
Belknap County within NH
Belknap County ranks 8 of 10 NH counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Coos County, NH at 110 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. The fewest is Strafford County, NH: 63 nights, winter lows near 18°F. At 969 ft, Belknap County sits 257 ft above the state's median county elevation of 712 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 Lakeport 2, NH, 5 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.