Will Pipes Freeze in Dauphin County, PA? 42 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Dauphin County
In a normal year Dauphin County, PA gets 42 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 57% 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 | 125 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 42 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 12 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 1 night |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 42 nights of risk to 12 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 10/16, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/26 to 03/19.
How cold Dauphin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°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: 12 nights a year, and 1 night below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 21°F | 28°F | 38°F | 48°F | 57°F | 61°F | 60°F | 53°F | 42°F | 33°F | 26°F |
Dauphin County next to its neighbours
Snyder County, PA, 45 km northwest, gets 48 nights below 20°F to Dauphin County's 42 nights. Lebanon County, PA, 28 km east, gets 39 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin County, PA | - | 125 nights | 42 nights | 21°F |
| Lebanon County, PA | 28 km east | 120 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Perry County, PA | 40 km west | 115 nights | 37 nights | 21°F |
| Snyder County, PA | 45 km northwest | 136 nights | 48 nights | 20°F |
| Cumberland County, PA | 49 km southwest | 119 nights | 36 nights | 21°F |
| Northumberland County, PA | 49 km north | 133 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Juniata County, PA | 53 km west | 120 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
Dauphin County within PA
Dauphin County ranks 48 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 569 ft, Dauphin County sits 572 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.
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 Dehart Dam, PA, 7 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.