Will Pipes Freeze in Passaic County, NJ? 45 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Passaic County
In a normal year Passaic County, NJ gets 45 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 60% 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 | 121 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 45 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 13 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 2 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 45 nights of risk to 13 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 10/23, last around 04/19. For 20°F: 12/03 to 03/14.
How cold Passaic County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°F overnight. 7 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 13 nights a year, and 2 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 20°F | 29°F | 39°F | 50°F | 58°F | 64°F | 63°F | 56°F | 43°F | 35°F | 27°F |
Passaic County next to its neighbours
Morris County, NJ, 29 km southwest, gets 48 nights below 20°F to Passaic County's 45 nights. Bergen County, NJ, 21 km southeast, gets 30 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passaic County, NJ | - | 121 nights | 45 nights | 20°F |
| Bergen County, NJ | 21 km southeast | 101 nights | 30 nights | 24°F |
| Rockland County, NY | 26 km northeast | 120 nights | 43 nights | 18°F |
| Essex County, NJ | 28 km south | 117 nights | 38 nights | 22°F |
| Morris County, NJ | 29 km southwest | 131 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Sussex County, NJ | 35 km west | 142 nights | 58 nights | 17°F |
| Hudson County, NJ | 39 km southeast | 80 nights | 20 nights | 26°F |
Passaic County within NJ
Passaic County ranks 4 of 21 NJ counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sussex County, NJ at 58 nights, with a 20°F average winter low. The fewest is Hudson County, NJ: 20 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 238 ft, Passaic County sits 149 ft above the state's median county elevation of 89 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 Wanaque Raymond Dam, NJ, 1 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.