Will Pipes Freeze in Franklin County, NY? 107 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Franklin County
In a normal year Franklin County, NY gets 107 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 | 196 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 107 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 66 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 40 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 107 nights of risk to 66 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 09/09, last around 06/02. For 20°F: 10/23 to 04/28.
How cold Franklin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 7°F; the coldest month, January, averages 3°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: 66 nights a year, and 40 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3°F | 4°F | 13°F | 27°F | 38°F | 48°F | 52°F | 50°F | 43°F | 34°F | 24°F | 13°F |
Franklin County next to its neighbours
Clinton County, NY, 51 km east, gets 87 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, NY | - | 196 nights | 107 nights | 3°F |
| Clinton County, NY | 51 km east | 159 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | 62 km west | 162 nights | 86 nights | 6°F |
| Essex County, NY | 69 km southeast | 187 nights | 100 nights | 6°F |
| Grand Isle County, VT | 83 km east | 150 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Chittenden County, VT | 99 km east | 151 nights | 78 nights | 11°F |
| Hamilton County, NY | 105 km south | 188 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
Franklin County within NY
Franklin County ranks 1 of 62 NY counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Bronx County, NY: 16 nights, winter lows near 30°F. At 1,623 ft, Franklin County sits 735 ft above the state's median county elevation of 888 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 Saranac Regional Airport, NY, 25 km away (fair 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.