Will Pipes Freeze in Lackawanna County, PA? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lackawanna County
In a normal year Lackawanna County, PA gets 52 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 66% 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 | 132 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 nights of risk to 19 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 04/23. For 20°F: 11/28 to 03/21.
How cold Lackawanna County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 19 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 20°F | 27°F | 38°F | 48°F | 57°F | 61°F | 60°F | 53°F | 42°F | 33°F | 25°F |
Lackawanna County next to its neighbours
Wyoming County, PA, 35 km west, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Lackawanna County's 52 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lackawanna County, PA | - | 132 nights | 52 nights | 19°F |
| Wyoming County, PA | 35 km west | 156 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Wayne County, PA | 35 km northeast | 163 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Luzerne County, PA | 42 km southwest | 142 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 45 km north | 168 nights | 80 nights | 13°F |
| Monroe County, PA | 48 km southeast | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
| Pike County, PA | 50 km east | 150 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
Lackawanna County within PA
Lackawanna County ranks 32 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 1,035 ft, Lackawanna County sits 106 ft below 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.
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 Wilkes-Barre International Airport, PA, 15 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.