Will Pipes Freeze in Essex County, MA? 49 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Essex County
In a normal year Essex County, MA gets 49 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 64% 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 | 130 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 49 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 15 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 49 nights of risk to 15 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 10/12, last around 05/04. For 20°F: 11/19 to 03/29.
How cold Essex County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 15 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 26°F | 35°F | 45°F | 55°F | 61°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Essex County next to its neighbours
Rockingham County, NH, 43 km northwest, gets 65 nights below 20°F to Essex County's 49 nights. Suffolk County, MA, 36 km south, gets 30 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | - | 130 nights | 49 nights | 18°F |
| Suffolk County, MA | 36 km south | 94 nights | 30 nights | 23°F |
| Rockingham County, NH | 43 km northwest | 154 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
| Middlesex County, MA | 47 km west | 143 nights | 60 nights | 16°F |
| Norfolk County, MA | 58 km southwest | 138 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Plymouth County, MA | 74 km south | 122 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Strafford County, NH | 74 km north | 146 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
Essex County within MA
Essex County ranks 8 of 14 MA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Berkshire County, MA at 75 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Nantucket County, MA: 18 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 35 ft, Essex County sits 118 ft below the state's median county elevation of 153 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Beverly, MA, 7 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.