Will Pipes Freeze in Lycoming County, PA? 50 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Lycoming County
In a normal year Lycoming County, PA gets 50 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 64% 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 | 131 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 50 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 17 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 50 nights of risk to 17 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 10/24, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/26 to 03/19.
How cold Lycoming 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: 17 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 | 37°F | 48°F | 57°F | 61°F | 60°F | 53°F | 41°F | 32°F | 24°F |
Lycoming County next to its neighbours
Sullivan County, PA, 47 km east, gets 69 nights below 20°F to Lycoming County's 50 nights. Union County, PA, 42 km south, gets 49 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lycoming County, PA | - | 131 nights | 50 nights | 19°F |
| Union County, PA | 42 km south | 137 nights | 49 nights | 20°F |
| Sullivan County, PA | 47 km east | 150 nights | 69 nights | 14°F |
| Montour County, PA | 48 km southeast | 132 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Clinton County, PA | 49 km west | 152 nights | 60 nights | 17°F |
| Tioga County, PA | 50 km north | 158 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Northumberland County, PA | 62 km southeast | 133 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
Lycoming County within PA
Lycoming County ranks 36 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 1,646 ft, Lycoming County sits 505 ft above 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 Williamsport 2, PA, 12 km away (fair 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.