Will Pipes Freeze in Onondaga County, NY? 61 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Onondaga County
In a normal year Onondaga County, NY gets 61 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 72% 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 | 140 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 61 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 27 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 61 nights of risk to 27 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 10/19, last around 04/29. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/28.
How cold Onondaga County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 27 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 16°F | 24°F | 35°F | 46°F | 56°F | 61°F | 59°F | 51°F | 41°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Onondaga County next to its neighbours
Cayuga County, NY, 31 km west, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Onondaga County's 61 nights. Seneca County, NY, 57 km southwest, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onondaga County, NY | - | 140 nights | 61 nights | 15°F |
| Cayuga County, NY | 31 km west | 141 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Madison County, NY | 45 km east | 156 nights | 77 nights | 12°F |
| Cortland County, NY | 47 km south | 158 nights | 74 nights | 12°F |
| Oswego County, NY | 51 km north | 147 nights | 63 nights | 13°F |
| Seneca County, NY | 57 km southwest | 133 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Tompkins County, NY | 66 km south | 149 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
Onondaga County within NY
Onondaga County ranks 40 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 913 ft, Onondaga County sits close to 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.
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 Syracuse Hancock International Airport, NY, 14 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.