Will Pipes Freeze in Erie County, NY? 63 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Erie County
In a normal year Erie County, NY gets 63 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 73% 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 | 149 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 63 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 63 nights of risk to 29 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 05/07. For 20°F: 11/19 to 04/04.
How cold Erie County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, February, averages 16°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, December: 29 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 16°F | 23°F | 34°F | 45°F | 54°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 41°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Erie County next to its neighbours
Wyoming County, NY, 45 km east, gets 78 nights below 20°F to Erie County's 63 nights. Genesee County, NY, 55 km northeast, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County, NY | - | 149 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
| Wyoming County, NY | 45 km east | 157 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Genesee County, NY | 55 km northeast | 132 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Niagara County, NY | 58 km north | 131 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 58 km south | 171 nights | 81 nights | 13°F |
| Chautauqua County, NY | 72 km southwest | 125 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Orleans County, NY | 80 km northeast | 127 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
Erie County within NY
Erie County ranks 37 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 801 ft, Erie County sits 87 ft below 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.
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 Colden (1 mi N), NY, 13 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.