Will Pipes Freeze in Fayette County, PA? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fayette County
In a normal year Fayette County, PA gets 54 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 67% 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 | 138 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 19 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: 11/03 to 04/07.
How cold Fayette County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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, November, December: 19 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 18°F | 25°F | 35°F | 45°F | 54°F | 58°F | 56°F | 49°F | 38°F | 29°F | 22°F |
Fayette County next to its neighbours
Garrett County, MD, 52 km southeast, gets 57 nights below 20°F to Fayette County's 54 nights. Westmoreland County, PA, 46 km north, gets 53 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | - | 138 nights | 54 nights | 17°F |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 46 km north | 137 nights | 53 nights | 19°F |
| Monongalia County, WV | 48 km southwest | 106 nights | 31 nights | 23°F |
| Preston County, WV | 50 km south | 137 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Greene County, PA | 51 km west | 137 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Garrett County, MD | 52 km southeast | 143 nights | 57 nights | 18°F |
| Somerset County, PA | 53 km east | 148 nights | 67 nights | 16°F |
Fayette County within PA
Fayette County ranks 27 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 1,697 ft, Fayette County sits 555 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.
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 Chalk Hill (2 mi ENE), PA, 9 km away (close 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.