Will Pipes Freeze in Hampden County, MA? 58 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Hampden County
In a normal year Hampden County, MA gets 58 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 70% 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 | 141 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 58 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 22 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 58 nights of risk to 22 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 10/08, last around 05/03. For 20°F: 11/14 to 03/28.
How cold Hampden County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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: 22 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 18°F | 26°F | 36°F | 47°F | 56°F | 61°F | 60°F | 52°F | 40°F | 31°F | 22°F |
Hampden County next to its neighbours
Hampshire County, MA, 23 km north, gets 66 nights below 20°F to Hampden County's 58 nights. Capitol Planning Region, CT, 36 km south, gets 45 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden County, MA | - | 141 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Hampshire County, MA | 23 km north | 151 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Capitol Planning Region, CT | 36 km south | 123 nights | 45 nights | 20°F |
| Franklin County, MA | 50 km north | 154 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Berkshire County, MA | 55 km northwest | 161 nights | 75 nights | 13°F |
| Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 58 km southwest | 153 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
| Worcester County, MA | 60 km east | 137 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
Hampden County within MA
Hampden County ranks 5 of 14 MA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Berkshire County, MA at 75 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Nantucket County, MA: 18 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 153 ft, Hampden County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 153 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 Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA, 7 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.