Will Pipes Freeze in Elk County, PA? 74 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Elk County
In a normal year Elk County, PA gets 74 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 79% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 74 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 32 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 12 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 74 nights of risk to 32 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 10/06, last around 05/14. For 20°F: 11/15 to 04/07.
How cold Elk County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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: 32 nights a year, and 12 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 15°F | 22°F | 32°F | 42°F | 51°F | 55°F | 54°F | 48°F | 37°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Elk County next to its neighbours
Cameron County, PA, 38 km east, gets 65 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk County, PA | - | 164 nights | 74 nights | 14°F |
| Cameron County, PA | 38 km east | 156 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| McKean County, PA | 44 km north | 161 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
| Jefferson County, PA | 44 km southwest | 147 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Clearfield County, PA | 49 km south | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
| Forest County, PA | 51 km west | 163 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Clarion County, PA | 69 km west | 157 nights | 64 nights | 15°F |
Elk County within PA
Elk County ranks 3 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 1,981 ft, Elk County sits 840 ft above 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 Glen Hazel Dam (2 mi NE), PA, 16 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.