Will Pipes Freeze in Cumberland County, ME? 68 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Cumberland County
In a normal year Cumberland County, ME 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 March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 145 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 68 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 30 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 68 nights of risk to 30 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 10/19, last around 04/28. For 20°F: 11/24 to 03/26.
How cold Cumberland County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 30 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 15°F | 23°F | 34°F | 44°F | 54°F | 60°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 31°F | 21°F |
Cumberland County next to its neighbours
Sagadahoc County, ME, 41 km east, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Cumberland County's 68 nights. Lincoln County, ME, 69 km east, gets 65 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County, ME | - | 145 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 41 km east | 158 nights | 77 nights | 11°F |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 41 km north | 147 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
| York County, ME | 50 km southwest | 156 nights | 70 nights | 11°F |
| Lincoln County, ME | 69 km east | 146 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
| Carroll County, NH | 70 km west | 183 nights | 92 nights | 8°F |
| Strafford County, NH | 81 km southwest | 146 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
Cumberland County within ME
Cumberland County ranks 14 of 16 ME counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, ME at 116 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Knox County, ME: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 298 ft, Cumberland County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 298 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 Gray, ME, 11 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.