Will Pipes Freeze in Madison County, NY? 77 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Madison County
In a normal year Madison County, NY gets 77 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 81% 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 | 156 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 77 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 38 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 77 nights of risk to 38 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 10/09, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/13 to 04/05.
How cold Madison County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 12°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, November, December: 38 nights a year, and 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 13°F | 20°F | 33°F | 44°F | 53°F | 58°F | 56°F | 49°F | 38°F | 29°F | 20°F |
Madison County next to its neighbours
Oneida County, NY, 41 km northeast, gets 67 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, NY | - | 156 nights | 77 nights | 12°F |
| Oneida County, NY | 41 km northeast | 147 nights | 67 nights | 13°F |
| Onondaga County, NY | 45 km west | 140 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| Chenango County, NY | 48 km south | 160 nights | 75 nights | 12°F |
| Cortland County, NY | 49 km southwest | 158 nights | 74 nights | 12°F |
| Otsego County, NY | 60 km southeast | 159 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
| Cayuga County, NY | 75 km west | 141 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
Madison County within NY
Madison County ranks 17 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 1,285 ft, Madison County sits 398 ft above 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.
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 Morrisville (6 mi SW), NY, 9 km away (close 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.