Will Pipes Freeze in Broome County, NY? 66 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Broome County
In a normal year Broome County, NY gets 66 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 75% 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 | 150 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 66 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 66 nights of risk to 28 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 10/16, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/23 to 04/01.
How cold Broome County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 28 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 15°F | 23°F | 34°F | 44°F | 53°F | 58°F | 57°F | 50°F | 40°F | 30°F | 22°F |
Broome County next to its neighbours
Susquehanna County, PA, 38 km south, gets 80 nights below 20°F to Broome County's 66 nights. Bradford County, PA, 69 km southwest, gets 61 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broome County, NY | - | 150 nights | 66 nights | 15°F |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 38 km south | 168 nights | 80 nights | 13°F |
| Tioga County, NY | 39 km west | 163 nights | 71 nights | 14°F |
| Chenango County, NY | 40 km northeast | 160 nights | 75 nights | 12°F |
| Cortland County, NY | 52 km northwest | 158 nights | 74 nights | 12°F |
| Tompkins County, NY | 62 km northwest | 149 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Bradford County, PA | 69 km southwest | 147 nights | 61 nights | 17°F |
Broome County within NY
Broome County ranks 35 of 62 NY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, NY at 107 nights, with a 7°F average winter low. The fewest is Bronx County, NY: 16 nights, winter lows near 30°F. At 988 ft, Broome County sits 100 ft above the state's median county elevation of 888 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Whitney Pt Dam, NY, 23 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.