Will Pipes Freeze in Bennington County, VT? 81 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bennington County
In a normal year Bennington County, VT gets 81 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 83% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 168 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 81 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 41 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 81 nights of risk to 41 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 10/02, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 11/05 to 04/07.
How cold Bennington County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 13°F; the coldest month, January, averages 10°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: 41 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10°F | 12°F | 19°F | 31°F | 42°F | 51°F | 56°F | 54°F | 47°F | 36°F | 27°F | 18°F |
Bennington County next to its neighbours
Windham County, VT, 32 km east, gets 77 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennington County, VT | - | 168 nights | 81 nights | 10°F |
| Windham County, VT | 32 km east | 167 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Washington County, NY | 41 km northwest | 157 nights | 77 nights | 8°F |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 49 km southwest | 153 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Saratoga County, NY | 61 km west | 148 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Rutland County, VT | 64 km north | 163 nights | 80 nights | 8°F |
| Franklin County, MA | 66 km southeast | 154 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
Bennington County within VT
Bennington County ranks 10 of 14 VT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Essex County, VT at 106 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Windham County, VT: 77 nights, winter lows near 13°F. At 1,861 ft, Bennington County sits 886 ft above the state's median county elevation of 974 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 Peru, VT, 30 km away (fair 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.