Will Pipes Freeze in Grand Isle County, VT? 79 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Grand Isle County
In a normal year Grand Isle County, VT gets 79 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 82% 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 | 150 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 79 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 44 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 21 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 79 nights of risk to 44 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 10/12, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/15 to 04/01.
How cold Grand Isle County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 44 nights a year, and 21 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 12°F | 22°F | 35°F | 47°F | 56°F | 62°F | 60°F | 52°F | 41°F | 31°F | 20°F |
Grand Isle County next to its neighbours
Franklin County, VT, 32 km east, gets 88 nights below 20°F to Grand Isle County's 79 nights. Chittenden County, VT, 42 km southeast, gets 78 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Isle County, VT | - | 150 nights | 79 nights | 11°F |
| Franklin County, VT | 32 km east | 165 nights | 88 nights | 6°F |
| Clinton County, NY | 32 km west | 159 nights | 87 nights | 8°F |
| Chittenden County, VT | 42 km southeast | 151 nights | 78 nights | 11°F |
| Lamoille County, VT | 57 km east | 179 nights | 98 nights | 4°F |
| Washington County, VT | 80 km southeast | 172 nights | 92 nights | 6°F |
| Orleans County, VT | 83 km east | 185 nights | 103 nights | 2°F |
Grand Isle County within VT
Grand Isle County ranks 12 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 135 ft, Grand Isle County sits 840 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Chazy, NY, 11 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.