Will Pipes Freeze in Kent County, RI? 45 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Kent County
In a normal year Kent County, RI gets 45 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 60% 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 | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 45 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 45 nights of risk to 13 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 10/20, last around 04/22. For 20°F: 11/26 to 03/20.
How cold Kent County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 13 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 20°F | 26°F | 36°F | 47°F | 57°F | 64°F | 62°F | 54°F | 42°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Kent County next to its neighbours
Providence County, RI, 22 km north, gets 49 nights below 20°F to Kent County's 45 nights. Bristol County, RI, 25 km east, gets 32 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County, RI | - | 134 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Providence County, RI | 22 km north | 132 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Bristol County, RI | 25 km east | 106 nights | 32 nights | 23°F |
| Washington County, RI | 31 km south | 131 nights | 45 nights | 20°F |
| Newport County, RI | 31 km southeast | 96 nights | 27 nights | 24°F |
| Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 37 km northwest | 147 nights | 60 nights | 17°F |
| Bristol County, MA | 42 km east | 124 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
Kent County within RI
Kent County ranks 2 of 5 RI counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Providence County, RI at 49 nights, with a 21°F average winter low. The fewest is Newport County, RI: 27 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 260 ft, Kent County sits 122 ft above the state's median county elevation of 138 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 Coventry 2, RI, 2 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.