Will Pipes Freeze in Chautauqua County, NY? 48 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Chautauqua County
In a normal year Chautauqua County, NY gets 48 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 62% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 125 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 48 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 48 nights of risk to 18 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 10/31, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 12/03 to 03/24.
How cold Chautauqua County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, February, averages 19°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: 18 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 19°F | 26°F | 37°F | 48°F | 58°F | 62°F | 61°F | 54°F | 44°F | 35°F | 26°F |
Chautauqua County next to its neighbours
Warren County, PA, 53 km south, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Chautauqua County's 48 nights. Erie County, PA, 60 km west, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua County, NY | - | 125 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Warren County, PA | 53 km south | 165 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Erie County, PA | 60 km west | 113 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 62 km east | 171 nights | 81 nights | 13°F |
| Erie County, NY | 72 km northeast | 149 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
| McKean County, PA | 88 km southeast | 161 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
| Forest County, PA | 89 km south | 163 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
Chautauqua County within NY
Chautauqua County ranks 53 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 1,630 ft, Chautauqua County sits 742 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.
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 Portland1 SW, NY, 10 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.