Will Pipes Freeze in Jefferson County, PA? 62 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Jefferson County
In a normal year Jefferson County, PA gets 62 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 72% 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 | 147 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 62 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 62 nights of risk to 24 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 10/14, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/31.
How cold Jefferson 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, November, December: 24 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 17°F | 25°F | 35°F | 45°F | 54°F | 58°F | 57°F | 50°F | 40°F | 30°F | 23°F |
Jefferson County next to its neighbours
Clarion County, PA, 35 km west, gets 64 nights below 20°F to Jefferson County's 62 nights. Clearfield County, PA, 47 km east, gets 59 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, PA | - | 147 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Clarion County, PA | 35 km west | 157 nights | 64 nights | 15°F |
| Elk County, PA | 44 km northeast | 164 nights | 74 nights | 14°F |
| Forest County, PA | 46 km northwest | 163 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Clearfield County, PA | 47 km east | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
| Armstrong County, PA | 52 km southwest | 140 nights | 54 nights | 18°F |
| Indiana County, PA | 54 km south | 137 nights | 51 nights | 17°F |
Jefferson County within PA
Jefferson County ranks 18 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 1,507 ft, Jefferson County sits 366 ft above 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.
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 Dubois Jefferson County Airport, PA, 11 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.