Will Pipes Freeze in Lincoln County, ME? 65 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lincoln County
In a normal year Lincoln County, ME gets 65 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 74% 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 | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 65 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 28 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 65 nights of risk to 28 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 10/18, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/23 to 03/27.
How cold Lincoln County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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: 28 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 16°F | 25°F | 34°F | 44°F | 53°F | 60°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 32°F | 22°F |
Lincoln County next to its neighbours
Sagadahoc County, ME, 28 km west, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Lincoln County's 65 nights. Knox County, ME, 38 km east, gets 55 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, ME | - | 146 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 28 km west | 158 nights | 77 nights | 11°F |
| Knox County, ME | 38 km east | 133 nights | 55 nights | 16°F |
| Kennebec County, ME | 51 km northwest | 151 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 59 km west | 147 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
| Waldo County, ME | 62 km northeast | 158 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
| Cumberland County, ME | 69 km west | 145 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
Lincoln County within ME
Lincoln County ranks 15 of 16 ME counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, ME at 116 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Knox County, ME: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 139 ft, Lincoln County sits 158 ft below the state's median county elevation of 298 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 Newcastle, ME, 6 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.