Will Pipes Freeze in Clinton County, NY? 87 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Clinton County
In a normal year Clinton County, NY gets 87 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 86% 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 | 159 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 87 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 48 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 21 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 87 nights of risk to 48 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: 11/11 to 04/07.
How cold Clinton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 12°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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, November, December: 48 nights a year, and 21 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 11°F | 20°F | 32°F | 45°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 28°F | 16°F |
Clinton County next to its neighbours
Franklin County, NY, 51 km west, gets 107 nights below 20°F to Clinton County's 87 nights. Grand Isle County, VT, 32 km east, gets 79 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton County, NY | - | 159 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Grand Isle County, VT | 32 km east | 150 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Franklin County, NY | 51 km west | 196 nights | 107 nights | 3°F |
| Chittenden County, VT | 60 km southeast | 151 nights | 78 nights | 11°F |
| Franklin County, VT | 64 km east | 165 nights | 88 nights | 6°F |
| Essex County, NY | 72 km south | 187 nights | 100 nights | 6°F |
| Lamoille County, VT | 86 km east | 179 nights | 98 nights | 4°F |
Clinton County within NY
Clinton County ranks 7 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 1,810 ft, Clinton County sits 922 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 Dannemora, NY, 4 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.