Will Pipes Freeze in Orleans County, NY? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Orleans County
In a normal year Orleans County, NY gets 52 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 66% 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 | 127 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 18 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 4 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 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 10/20, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/26 to 03/29.
How cold Orleans County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°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: 18 nights a year, and 4 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 18°F | 25°F | 36°F | 47°F | 57°F | 62°F | 60°F | 54°F | 43°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Orleans County next to its neighbours
Genesee County, NY, 38 km south, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Orleans County's 52 nights. Monroe County, NY, 42 km east, gets 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans County, NY | - | 127 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Genesee County, NY | 38 km south | 132 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Monroe County, NY | 42 km east | 131 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Niagara County, NY | 50 km west | 131 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Wyoming County, NY | 71 km south | 157 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Livingston County, NY | 76 km southeast | 140 nights | 61 nights | 16°F |
| Erie County, NY | 80 km southwest | 149 nights | 63 nights | 16°F |
Orleans County within NY
Orleans County ranks 50 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 309 ft, Orleans County sits 578 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 Albion, NY, 9 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.