Will Pipes Freeze in Fulton County, PA? 41 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Fulton County
In a normal year Fulton County, PA gets 41 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 56% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 122 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 41 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 10 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 41 nights of risk to 10 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 10/17, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/19.
How cold Fulton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 25°F; the coldest month, January, averages 22°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: 10 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22°F | 24°F | 31°F | 40°F | 50°F | 59°F | 64°F | 62°F | 55°F | 43°F | 34°F | 27°F |
Fulton County next to its neighbours
Bedford County, PA, 33 km west, gets 54 nights below 20°F to Fulton County's 41 nights. Franklin County, PA, 34 km east, gets 31 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, PA | - | 122 nights | 41 nights | 22°F |
| Bedford County, PA | 33 km west | 144 nights | 54 nights | 19°F |
| Franklin County, PA | 34 km east | 108 nights | 31 nights | 23°F |
| Morgan County, WV | 41 km south | 121 nights | 39 nights | 21°F |
| Washington County, MD | 43 km southeast | 104 nights | 27 nights | 23°F |
| Berkeley County, WV | 52 km south | 111 nights | 32 nights | 23°F |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 58 km north | 121 nights | 40 nights | 21°F |
Fulton County within PA
Fulton County ranks 50 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 785 ft, Fulton County sits 356 ft below 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 Everett, PA, 24 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.