Will Pipes Freeze in Essex County, VT? 106 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Essex County
In a normal year Essex County, VT gets 106 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 94% 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 | 188 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 106 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 69 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 42 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 106 nights of risk to 69 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 09/28, last around 05/16. For 20°F: 11/01 to 04/13.
How cold Essex County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 5°F; the coldest month, February, averages 2°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, November, December: 69 nights a year, and 42 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2°F | 2°F | 12°F | 28°F | 41°F | 50°F | 55°F | 53°F | 45°F | 34°F | 24°F | 12°F |
Essex County next to its neighbours
Coos County, NH, 36 km east, gets 110 nights below 20°F to Essex County's 106 nights. Caledonia County, VT, 41 km southwest, gets 92 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VT | - | 188 nights | 106 nights | 2°F |
| Coos County, NH | 36 km east | 195 nights | 110 nights | 3°F |
| Caledonia County, VT | 41 km southwest | 176 nights | 92 nights | 6°F |
| Orleans County, VT | 43 km west | 185 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Lamoille County, VT | 72 km west | 179 nights | 98 nights | 4°F |
| Oxford County, ME | 83 km east | 179 nights | 95 nights | 6°F |
| Washington County, VT | 86 km southwest | 172 nights | 92 nights | 6°F |
Essex County within VT
Essex County ranks 1 of 14 VT counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Windham County, VT: 77 nights, winter lows near 13°F. At 1,828 ft, Essex County sits 853 ft above the state's median county elevation of 974 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 Island Pond Airport, VT, 11 km away (fair 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.