Will Pipes Freeze in Norfolk County, MA? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Norfolk County
In a normal year Norfolk County, MA gets 54 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 67% 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 | 138 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 18 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 04/25. For 20°F: 11/22 to 03/16.
How cold Norfolk County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 21°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 18 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21°F | 22°F | 29°F | 39°F | 48°F | 57°F | 63°F | 61°F | 52°F | 41°F | 34°F | 26°F |
Norfolk County next to its neighbours
Middlesex County, MA, 39 km northwest, gets 60 nights below 20°F to Norfolk County's 54 nights. Suffolk County, MA, 23 km northeast, gets 30 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk County, MA | - | 138 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Suffolk County, MA | 23 km northeast | 94 nights | 30 nights | 23°F |
| Middlesex County, MA | 39 km northwest | 143 nights | 60 nights | 16°F |
| Plymouth County, MA | 42 km southeast | 122 nights | 44 nights | 21°F |
| Providence County, RI | 47 km southwest | 132 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Bristol County, MA | 48 km south | 124 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Bristol County, RI | 52 km south | 106 nights | 32 nights | 23°F |
Norfolk County within MA
Norfolk County ranks 7 of 14 MA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Berkshire County, MA at 75 nights, with a 16°F average winter low. The fewest is Nantucket County, MA: 18 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 50 ft, Norfolk County sits 103 ft below the state's median county elevation of 153 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 Norwood Memorial Airport, MA, 2 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.