Will Pipes Freeze in Oneida County, NY? 67 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Oneida County
In a normal year Oneida County, NY gets 67 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 75% 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 | 147 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 67 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 33 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 67 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 05/06. For 20°F: 11/20 to 04/03.
How cold Oneida County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 13°F | 23°F | 34°F | 45°F | 55°F | 60°F | 58°F | 51°F | 41°F | 31°F | 21°F |
Oneida County next to its neighbours
Madison County, NY, 41 km southwest, gets 77 nights below 20°F to Oneida County's 67 nights. Onondaga County, NY, 67 km southwest, gets 61 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oneida County, NY | - | 147 nights | 67 nights | 13°F |
| Madison County, NY | 41 km southwest | 156 nights | 77 nights | 12°F |
| Lewis County, NY | 60 km north | 165 nights | 86 nights | 8°F |
| Herkimer County, NY | 60 km northeast | 186 nights | 102 nights | 6°F |
| Onondaga County, NY | 67 km southwest | 140 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| Oswego County, NY | 67 km west | 147 nights | 63 nights | 13°F |
| Otsego County, NY | 76 km southeast | 159 nights | 76 nights | 13°F |
Oneida County within NY
Oneida County ranks 32 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 469 ft, Oneida County sits 419 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 Rome Griffiss Airfield, NY, 2 km away (close 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.