Will Pipes Freeze in Franklin County, MA? 66 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Franklin County
In a normal year Franklin County, MA gets 66 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 75% 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 | 154 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 66 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 66 nights of risk to 28 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 05/01. For 20°F: 11/17 to 03/27.
How cold Franklin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, February, averages 13°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: 28 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 13°F | 23°F | 34°F | 45°F | 54°F | 60°F | 58°F | 50°F | 39°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Franklin County next to its neighbours
Windham County, VT, 47 km north, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Franklin County's 66 nights. Hampden County, MA, 50 km south, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, MA | - | 154 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Hampshire County, MA | 28 km south | 151 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Windham County, VT | 47 km north | 167 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Cheshire County, NH | 47 km northeast | 169 nights | 77 nights | 11°F |
| Hampden County, MA | 50 km south | 141 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Berkshire County, MA | 57 km southwest | 161 nights | 75 nights | 13°F |
| Worcester County, MA | 61 km southeast | 137 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
Franklin County within MA
Franklin County ranks 2 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 308 ft, Franklin County sits 155 ft above 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.
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 Greenfield #3, MA, 2 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.