Will Pipes Freeze in Lewis County, NY? 86 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lewis County
In a normal year Lewis County, NY gets 86 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 85% 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 | 165 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 86 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 49 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 25 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 86 nights of risk to 49 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 10/01, last around 05/08. For 20°F: 11/10 to 04/05.
How cold Lewis County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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, November, December: 49 nights a year, and 25 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 9°F | 19°F | 32°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 38°F | 28°F | 17°F |
Lewis County next to its neighbours
Herkimer County, NY, 54 km southeast, gets 102 nights below 20°F to Lewis County's 86 nights. Jefferson County, NY, 54 km northwest, gets 77 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, NY | - | 165 nights | 86 nights | 8°F |
| Herkimer County, NY | 54 km southeast | 186 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| Jefferson County, NY | 54 km northwest | 151 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Oneida County, NY | 60 km south | 147 nights | 67 nights | 13°F |
| Oswego County, NY | 71 km southwest | 147 nights | 63 nights | 13°F |
| Hamilton County, NY | 77 km east | 188 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | 84 km north | 162 nights | 86 nights | 6°F |
Lewis County within NY
Lewis County ranks 9 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 744 ft, Lewis County sits 144 ft below 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.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Lowville, NY, 3 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.