Will Pipes Freeze in Cattaraugus County, NY? 81 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cattaraugus County
In a normal year Cattaraugus County, NY 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 | 171 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 81 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 40 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 40 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 10/01, last around 05/17. For 20°F: 11/12 to 04/10.
How cold Cattaraugus County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, February, 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: 40 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 13°F | 20°F | 31°F | 42°F | 51°F | 55°F | 54°F | 47°F | 37°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Cattaraugus County next to its neighbours
McKean County, PA, 48 km south, gets 72 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattaraugus County, NY | - | 171 nights | 81 nights | 13°F |
| McKean County, PA | 48 km south | 161 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
| Allegany County, NY | 52 km east | 172 nights | 79 nights | 13°F |
| Erie County, NY | 58 km north | 149 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
| Chautauqua County, NY | 62 km west | 125 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Wyoming County, NY | 63 km northeast | 157 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Warren County, PA | 69 km southwest | 165 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
Cattaraugus County within NY
Cattaraugus County ranks 11 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 2,103 ft, Cattaraugus County sits 1,215 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.
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 Little Valley, NY, 12 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.