Will Pipes Freeze in Delaware County, NY? 81 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Delaware County
In a normal year Delaware County, NY gets 81 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 83% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 170 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 81 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 39 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 15 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 81 nights of risk to 39 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 10/01, last around 05/19. For 20°F: 11/07 to 04/08.
How cold Delaware County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 39 nights a year, and 15 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 12°F | 20°F | 31°F | 42°F | 51°F | 55°F | 54°F | 47°F | 36°F | 27°F | 19°F |
Delaware County next to its neighbours
Otsego County, NY, 49 km north, gets 76 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County, NY | - | 170 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Otsego County, NY | 49 km north | 159 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Sullivan County, NY | 55 km south | 163 nights | 74 nights | 13°F |
| Chenango County, NY | 61 km northwest | 160 nights | 75 nights | 12°F |
| Schoharie County, NY | 62 km northeast | 156 nights | 76 nights | 12°F |
| Ulster County, NY | 64 km southeast | 144 nights | 64 nights | 17°F |
| Wayne County, PA | 67 km southwest | 163 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
Delaware County within NY
Delaware County ranks 10 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 1,879 ft, Delaware County sits 991 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.
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 Delhi (2 mi SE), NY, 8 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.