Will Pipes Freeze in Chemung County, NY? 68 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Chemung County
In a normal year Chemung County, NY gets 68 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 76% 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 | 155 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 68 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 68 nights of risk to 29 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 10/11, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/18 to 04/02.
How cold Chemung County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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: 29 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 16°F | 23°F | 33°F | 44°F | 53°F | 58°F | 56°F | 49°F | 38°F | 29°F | 22°F |
Chemung County next to its neighbours
Schuyler County, NY, 34 km northwest, gets 70 nights below 20°F to Chemung County's 68 nights. Tompkins County, NY, 41 km northeast, gets 66 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemung County, NY | - | 155 nights | 68 nights | 16°F |
| Schuyler County, NY | 34 km northwest | 153 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Tioga County, NY | 38 km east | 163 nights | 71 nights | 14°F |
| Tompkins County, NY | 41 km northeast | 149 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Bradford County, PA | 45 km southeast | 147 nights | 61 nights | 17°F |
| Steuben County, NY | 54 km west | 168 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Tioga County, PA | 60 km southwest | 158 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
Chemung County within NY
Chemung County ranks 30 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 1,453 ft, Chemung County sits 565 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 Elmira, NY, 9 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.