Will Pipes Freeze in Pike County, PA? 65 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Pike County
In a normal year Pike County, PA gets 65 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 74% 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 | 150 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 65 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 25 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 65 nights of risk to 25 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 10/04, last around 05/10. For 20°F: 11/09 to 04/02.
How cold Pike County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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, December: 25 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 16°F | 24°F | 35°F | 45°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 30°F | 22°F |
Pike County next to its neighbours
Wayne County, PA, 42 km northwest, gets 73 nights below 20°F to Pike County's 65 nights. Sussex County, NJ, 35 km southeast, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County, PA | - | 150 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Sussex County, NJ | 35 km southeast | 142 nights | 58 nights | 17°F |
| Monroe County, PA | 39 km southwest | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
| Wayne County, PA | 42 km northwest | 163 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Sullivan County, NY | 49 km northeast | 163 nights | 74 nights | 13°F |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 50 km west | 132 nights | 52 nights | 19°F |
| Warren County, NJ | 53 km south | 134 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
Pike County within PA
Pike County ranks 15 of 67 PA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Susquehanna County, PA at 80 nights, with a 15°F average winter low. The fewest is Delaware County, PA: 15 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,509 ft, Pike County sits 368 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,141 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 Hawley (1 mi E), PA, 20 km away (fair 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.