Will Pipes Freeze in Bradford County, PA? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Bradford County
In a normal year Bradford County, PA gets 61 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 72% 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 | 147 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 nights of risk to 24 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 10/15, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/30.
How cold Bradford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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, December: 24 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 17°F | 24°F | 34°F | 45°F | 55°F | 59°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 30°F | 23°F |
Bradford County next to its neighbours
Sullivan County, PA, 39 km south, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Bradford County's 61 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford County, PA | - | 147 nights | 61 nights | 17°F |
| Sullivan County, PA | 39 km south | 150 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
| Chemung County, NY | 45 km northwest | 155 nights | 68 nights | 16°F |
| Tioga County, NY | 46 km north | 163 nights | 71 nights | 14°F |
| Wyoming County, PA | 51 km southeast | 156 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 58 km east | 168 nights | 80 nights | 13°F |
| Tioga County, PA | 63 km west | 158 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
Bradford County within PA
Bradford County ranks 19 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 1,120 ft, Bradford County sits close to 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 Towanda (1 mi S), PA, 7 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.