Will Pipes Freeze in Chittenden County, VT? 78 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Chittenden County
In a normal year Chittenden County, VT gets 78 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 81% 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 | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 78 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 45 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 20 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 78 nights of risk to 45 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 05/02. For 20°F: 11/16 to 04/03.
How cold Chittenden County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 45 nights a year, and 20 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 13°F | 22°F | 35°F | 47°F | 57°F | 62°F | 60°F | 52°F | 41°F | 31°F | 20°F |
Chittenden County next to its neighbours
Lamoille County, VT, 38 km northeast, gets 98 nights below 20°F to Chittenden County's 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittenden County, VT | - | 151 nights | 78 nights | 11°F |
| Lamoille County, VT | 38 km northeast | 179 nights | 98 nights | 4°F |
| Grand Isle County, VT | 42 km northwest | 150 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Washington County, VT | 42 km southeast | 172 nights | 92 nights | 6°F |
| Franklin County, VT | 46 km north | 165 nights | 88 nights | 6°F |
| Addison County, VT | 48 km south | 159 nights | 82 nights | 9°F |
| Clinton County, NY | 60 km northwest | 159 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
Chittenden County within VT
Chittenden County ranks 13 of 14 VT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Essex County, VT at 106 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Windham County, VT: 77 nights, winter lows near 13°F. At 583 ft, Chittenden County sits 391 ft below the state's median county elevation of 974 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 Essex Junction (1 mi N), VT, 6 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.