Will Pipes Freeze in Oxford County, ME? 95 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Oxford County
In a normal year Oxford County, ME gets 95 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 90% 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 | 179 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 95 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 54 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 23 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 95 nights of risk to 54 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 09/29, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/07.
How cold Oxford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 6°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 54 nights a year, and 23 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6°F | 7°F | 17°F | 29°F | 41°F | 50°F | 55°F | 53°F | 45°F | 35°F | 26°F | 15°F |
Oxford County next to its neighbours
Coos County, NH, 47 km west, gets 110 nights below 20°F to Oxford County's 95 nights. Androscoggin County, ME, 55 km southeast, gets 72 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford County, ME | - | 179 nights | 95 nights | 6°F |
| Coos County, NH | 47 km west | 195 nights | 110 nights | 3°F |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 55 km southeast | 147 nights | 72 nights | 11°F |
| Franklin County, ME | 59 km northeast | 199 nights | 116 nights | 2°F |
| Kennebec County, ME | 77 km east | 151 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
| Carroll County, NH | 79 km southwest | 183 nights | 92 nights | 8°F |
| Cumberland County, ME | 83 km southeast | 145 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
Oxford County within ME
Oxford County ranks 6 of 16 ME counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, ME at 116 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Knox County, ME: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 933 ft, Oxford County sits 635 ft above the state's median county elevation of 298 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 Rumford (6 mi SW), ME, 6 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.