Will Pipes Freeze in Forest County, PA? 69 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Forest County
In a normal year Forest County, PA gets 69 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 76% 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 | 163 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 69 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 30 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 69 nights of risk to 30 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 10/07, last around 05/13. For 20°F: 11/14 to 04/05.
How cold Forest County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 30 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 15°F | 23°F | 32°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 55°F | 49°F | 38°F | 29°F | 22°F |
Forest County next to its neighbours
Warren County, PA, 36 km north, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Forest County's 69 nights. Clarion County, PA, 38 km south, gets 64 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest County, PA | - | 163 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Warren County, PA | 36 km north | 165 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Clarion County, PA | 38 km south | 157 nights | 64 nights | 15°F |
| Venango County, PA | 45 km west | 146 nights | 58 nights | 18°F |
| Jefferson County, PA | 46 km southeast | 147 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Elk County, PA | 51 km east | 164 nights | 74 nights | 14°F |
| McKean County, PA | 65 km northeast | 161 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
Forest County within PA
Forest County ranks 8 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 1,811 ft, Forest County sits 670 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Cooksburg (2 mi NW), PA, 18 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.