Will Pipes Freeze in Northumberland County, PA? 46 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Northumberland County
In a normal year Northumberland County, PA gets 46 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 61% 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 | 133 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 46 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 14 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 46 nights of risk to 14 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 04/30. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/23.
How cold Northumberland 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: 14 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 28°F | 37°F | 48°F | 57°F | 61°F | 59°F | 52°F | 41°F | 32°F | 25°F |
Northumberland County next to its neighbours
Union County, PA, 32 km northwest, gets 49 nights below 20°F to Northumberland County's 46 nights. Dauphin County, PA, 49 km south, gets 42 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northumberland County, PA | - | 133 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Montour County, PA | 20 km north | 132 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Union County, PA | 32 km northwest | 137 nights | 49 nights | 20°F |
| Snyder County, PA | 32 km west | 136 nights | 48 nights | 20°F |
| Columbia County, PA | 34 km northeast | 136 nights | 53 nights | 18°F |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 45 km east | 129 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Dauphin County, PA | 49 km south | 125 nights | 42 nights | 21°F |
Northumberland County within PA
Northumberland County ranks 44 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 566 ft, Northumberland County sits 575 ft below 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.
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 Sunbury, PA, 7 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.