Will Pipes Freeze in Berkshire County, MA? 75 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Berkshire County
In a normal year Berkshire County, MA gets 75 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 79% 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 | 161 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 75 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 75 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 10/05, last around 05/05. For 20°F: 11/14 to 03/31.
How cold Berkshire County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 34 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 14°F | 22°F | 33°F | 44°F | 53°F | 57°F | 56°F | 48°F | 38°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Berkshire County next to its neighbours
Columbia County, NY, 36 km west, gets 67 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire County, MA | - | 161 nights | 75 nights | 13°F |
| Columbia County, NY | 36 km west | 149 nights | 67 nights | 15°F |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 45 km northwest | 153 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Hampshire County, MA | 46 km east | 151 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Hampden County, MA | 55 km southeast | 141 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Franklin County, MA | 57 km northeast | 154 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 57 km south | 153 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
Berkshire County within MA
Berkshire County ranks 1 of 14 MA counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Nantucket County, MA: 18 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 1,807 ft, Berkshire County sits 1,655 ft above the state's median county elevation of 153 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 Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA, 9 km away (fair 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.