Will Pipes Freeze in Hamilton County, NY? 102 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hamilton County
In a normal year Hamilton County, NY gets 102 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 92% 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 | 188 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 102 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 61 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 34 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 102 nights of risk to 61 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 09/27, last around 05/23. For 20°F: 11/03 to 04/13.
How cold Hamilton County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°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, April, November, December: 61 nights a year, and 34 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 7°F | 15°F | 28°F | 41°F | 50°F | 54°F | 53°F | 46°F | 35°F | 25°F | 14°F |
Hamilton County next to its neighbours
Warren County, NY, 55 km east, gets 76 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, NY | - | 188 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| Herkimer County, NY | 29 km west | 186 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| Warren County, NY | 55 km east | 157 nights | 76 nights | 10°F |
| Fulton County, NY | 61 km south | 179 nights | 95 nights | 7°F |
| Essex County, NY | 77 km northeast | 187 nights | 100 nights | 6°F |
| Lewis County, NY | 77 km west | 165 nights | 86 nights | 8°F |
| Saratoga County, NY | 81 km southeast | 148 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
Hamilton County within NY
Hamilton County ranks 3 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 2,304 ft, Hamilton County sits 1,417 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.
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 Indian Lake (2 mi SW), NY, 21 km away (fair 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.