Will Pipes Freeze in Franklin County, VT? 88 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Franklin County
In a normal year Franklin County, VT gets 88 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 86% 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 | 165 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 88 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 52 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 28 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 88 nights of risk to 52 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 09/30, last around 05/18. For 20°F: 11/04 to 04/10.
How cold Franklin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°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: 52 nights a year, and 28 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 7°F | 18°F | 31°F | 43°F | 52°F | 57°F | 56°F | 48°F | 38°F | 27°F | 16°F |
Franklin County next to its neighbours
Lamoille County, VT, 35 km southeast, gets 98 nights below 20°F to Franklin County's 88 nights. Grand Isle County, VT, 32 km west, gets 79 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, VT | - | 165 nights | 88 nights | 6°F |
| Grand Isle County, VT | 32 km west | 150 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Lamoille County, VT | 35 km southeast | 179 nights | 98 nights | 4°F |
| Chittenden County, VT | 46 km south | 151 nights | 78 nights | 11°F |
| Orleans County, VT | 52 km east | 185 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
| Clinton County, NY | 64 km west | 159 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Washington County, VT | 69 km south | 172 nights | 92 nights | 6°F |
Franklin County within VT
Franklin County ranks 8 of 14 VT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Essex County, VT at 106 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Windham County, VT: 77 nights, winter lows near 13°F. At 696 ft, Franklin County sits 278 ft below 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 Enosburg Falls 2, VT, 9 km away (close 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.