Will Pipes Freeze in Orange County, NY? 55 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Orange County
In a normal year Orange County, NY gets 55 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 68% 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 | 137 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 55 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 55 nights of risk to 19 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 10/11, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/18 to 03/26.
How cold Orange County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 19 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 18°F | 26°F | 37°F | 47°F | 56°F | 61°F | 60°F | 52°F | 41°F | 31°F | 23°F |
Orange County next to its neighbours
Sussex County, NJ, 44 km southwest, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Orange County's 55 nights. Rockland County, NY, 36 km southeast, gets 43 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, NY | - | 137 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Rockland County, NY | 36 km southeast | 120 nights | 43 nights | 18°F |
| Passaic County, NJ | 41 km south | 121 nights | 45 nights | 20°F |
| Sussex County, NJ | 44 km southwest | 142 nights | 58 nights | 17°F |
| Putnam County, NY | 47 km east | 131 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
| Sullivan County, NY | 52 km northwest | 163 nights | 74 nights | 13°F |
| Bergen County, NJ | 53 km south | 101 nights | 30 nights | 24°F |
Orange County within NY
Orange County ranks 48 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 425 ft, Orange County sits 463 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.
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 Montgomery Orange Airport, NY, 12 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.