Will Pipes Freeze in Morris County, NJ? 48 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Morris County
In a normal year Morris County, NJ gets 48 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 62% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, 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 | 48 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 15 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 48 nights of risk to 15 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 10/17, last around 04/25. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/19.
How cold Morris County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°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: 15 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 20°F | 28°F | 38°F | 48°F | 57°F | 62°F | 60°F | 53°F | 42°F | 33°F | 25°F |
Morris County next to its neighbours
Sussex County, NJ, 33 km north, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Morris County's 48 nights. Essex County, NJ, 27 km east, gets 38 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris County, NJ | - | 131 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Essex County, NJ | 27 km east | 117 nights | 38 nights | 22°F |
| Passaic County, NJ | 29 km northeast | 121 nights | 45 nights | 20°F |
| Union County, NJ | 30 km southeast | 111 nights | 35 nights | 25°F |
| Somerset County, NJ | 33 km south | 129 nights | 43 nights | 20°F |
| Sussex County, NJ | 33 km north | 142 nights | 58 nights | 17°F |
| Warren County, NJ | 39 km west | 134 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
Morris County within NJ
Morris County ranks 2 of 21 NJ counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sussex County, NJ at 58 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Hudson County, NJ: 20 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 819 ft, Morris County sits 730 ft above the state's median county elevation of 89 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 Charlotteburg Rsvr, NJ, 22 km away (close 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.