Will Pipes Freeze in Luzerne County, PA? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Luzerne County
In a normal year Luzerne County, PA gets 61 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 71% 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 | 142 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 24 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 6 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 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 10/20, last around 04/23. For 20°F: 11/28 to 03/21.
How cold Luzerne County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 24 nights a year, and 6 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 19°F | 26°F | 36°F | 47°F | 56°F | 60°F | 58°F | 51°F | 40°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Luzerne County next to its neighbours
Carbon County, PA, 36 km southeast, gets 65 nights below 20°F to Luzerne County's 61 nights. Columbia County, PA, 39 km west, gets 53 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County, PA | - | 142 nights | 61 nights | 18°F |
| Carbon County, PA | 36 km southeast | 152 nights | 65 nights | 17°F |
| Columbia County, PA | 39 km west | 136 nights | 53 nights | 18°F |
| Wyoming County, PA | 39 km north | 156 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 42 km northeast | 132 nights | 52 nights | 19°F |
| Sullivan County, PA | 54 km northwest | 150 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
| Monroe County, PA | 56 km east | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
Luzerne County within PA
Luzerne County ranks 20 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 1,072 ft, Luzerne County sits 70 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.
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 Wilkes-Barre International Airport, PA, 27 km away (fair 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.