Will Pipes Freeze in Montgomery County, NY? 71 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Montgomery County
In a normal year Montgomery County, NY gets 71 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 77% 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 | 150 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 71 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 71 nights of risk to 33 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 10/13, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/21 to 03/31.
How cold Montgomery 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: 33 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12°F | 13°F | 21°F | 33°F | 44°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 49°F | 38°F | 29°F | 20°F |
Montgomery County next to its neighbours
Fulton County, NY, 24 km north, gets 95 nights below 20°F to Montgomery County's 71 nights. Saratoga County, NY, 52 km northeast, gets 68 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, NY | - | 150 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
| Fulton County, NY | 24 km north | 179 nights | 95 nights | 7°F |
| Schenectady County, NY | 33 km east | 151 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Schoharie County, NY | 34 km south | 156 nights | 76 nights | 12°F |
| Albany County, NY | 51 km southeast | 153 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Saratoga County, NY | 52 km northeast | 148 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Otsego County, NY | 57 km southwest | 159 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
Montgomery County within NY
Montgomery County ranks 27 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 460 ft, Montgomery County sits 427 ft below 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 Schoharie, NY, 28 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.