Will Pipes Freeze in Monroe County, PA? 59 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Monroe County
In a normal year Monroe County, PA gets 59 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 | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 59 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 23 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 59 nights of risk to 23 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 10/12, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/22.
How cold Monroe County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 23 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 18°F | 26°F | 36°F | 46°F | 55°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 39°F | 30°F | 23°F |
Monroe County next to its neighbours
Carbon County, PA, 35 km southwest, gets 65 nights below 20°F to Monroe County's 59 nights. Northampton County, PA, 34 km south, gets 39 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | - | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
| Northampton County, PA | 34 km south | 122 nights | 39 nights | 21°F |
| Warren County, NJ | 35 km southeast | 134 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Carbon County, PA | 35 km southwest | 152 nights | 65 nights | 17°F |
| Pike County, PA | 39 km northeast | 150 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 48 km northwest | 132 nights | 52 nights | 19°F |
| Lehigh County, PA | 54 km southwest | 127 nights | 44 nights | 20°F |
Monroe County within PA
Monroe County ranks 22 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 1,150 ft, Monroe County sits close to 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is E Stroudsburg, PA, 11 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.