Will Pipes Freeze in Clearfield County, PA? 59 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Clearfield County
In a normal year Clearfield County, PA gets 59 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 71% 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 | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 59 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 22 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 59 nights of risk to 22 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 05/04. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/30.
How cold Clearfield County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 22 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 18°F | 25°F | 35°F | 46°F | 54°F | 58°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 30°F | 22°F |
Clearfield County next to its neighbours
Jefferson County, PA, 47 km west, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Clearfield County's 59 nights. Centre County, PA, 54 km east, gets 55 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearfield County, PA | - | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
| Jefferson County, PA | 47 km west | 147 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Elk County, PA | 49 km north | 164 nights | 74 nights | 14°F |
| Cameron County, PA | 53 km northeast | 156 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Centre County, PA | 54 km east | 136 nights | 55 nights | 19°F |
| Blair County, PA | 58 km south | 126 nights | 46 nights | 20°F |
| Cambria County, PA | 59 km south | 154 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
Clearfield County within PA
Clearfield County ranks 23 of 67 PA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Susquehanna County, PA at 80 nights, with a 15°F average winter low. The fewest is Delaware County, PA: 15 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,479 ft, Clearfield County sits 338 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,141 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 Clearfield Lawrence Airport, PA, 7 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.