Will Pipes Freeze in Fulton County, NY? 95 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fulton County
In a normal year Fulton County, NY gets 95 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 90% 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 | 179 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 95 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 51 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 27 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 95 nights of risk to 51 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 10/03, last around 05/11. For 20°F: 11/07 to 04/09.
How cold Fulton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 7°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, April, November, December: 51 nights a year, and 27 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7°F | 8°F | 16°F | 29°F | 42°F | 52°F | 56°F | 54°F | 46°F | 36°F | 25°F | 16°F |
Fulton County next to its neighbours
Hamilton County, NY, 61 km north, gets 102 nights below 20°F to Fulton County's 95 nights. Montgomery County, NY, 24 km south, gets 71 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, NY | - | 179 nights | 95 nights | 7°F |
| Montgomery County, NY | 24 km south | 150 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
| Schenectady County, NY | 45 km southeast | 151 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Saratoga County, NY | 46 km east | 148 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Schoharie County, NY | 58 km south | 156 nights | 76 nights | 12°F |
| Hamilton County, NY | 61 km north | 188 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| Herkimer County, NY | 61 km northwest | 186 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
Fulton County within NY
Fulton County ranks 5 of 62 NY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, NY at 107 nights, with a 7°F average winter low. The fewest is Bronx County, NY: 16 nights, winter lows near 30°F. At 1,383 ft, Fulton County sits 495 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.
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 Gloversville (peck Lake) (7 mi NW), NY, 0 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.