Will Pipes Freeze in Columbia County, PA? 53 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Columbia County
In a normal year Columbia County, PA gets 53 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 66% 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 | 136 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 53 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 53 nights of risk to 19 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: 11/20 to 03/31.
How cold Columbia County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 19 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 20°F | 27°F | 37°F | 47°F | 56°F | 60°F | 59°F | 51°F | 41°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Columbia County next to its neighbours
Luzerne County, PA, 39 km east, gets 61 nights below 20°F to Columbia County's 53 nights. Montour County, PA, 22 km west, gets 47 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, PA | - | 136 nights | 53 nights | 18°F |
| Montour County, PA | 22 km west | 132 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Northumberland County, PA | 34 km southwest | 133 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Luzerne County, PA | 39 km east | 142 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 41 km south | 129 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Sullivan County, PA | 45 km north | 150 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
| Union County, PA | 55 km west | 137 nights | 49 nights | 20°F |
Columbia County within PA
Columbia County ranks 30 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 720 ft, Columbia County sits 421 ft below 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.
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 Benton (3 mi NE), PA, 21 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.