Will Pipes Freeze in Potter County, PA? 76 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Potter County
In a normal year Potter County, PA gets 76 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 80% 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 | 164 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 76 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 35 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 76 nights of risk to 35 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 05/14. For 20°F: 11/11 to 04/06.
How cold Potter County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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: 35 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 14°F | 21°F | 32°F | 42°F | 51°F | 54°F | 54°F | 47°F | 37°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Potter County next to its neighbours
Allegany County, NY, 57 km north, gets 79 nights below 20°F to Potter County's 76 nights. Cameron County, PA, 43 km southwest, gets 65 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potter County, PA | - | 164 nights | 76 nights | 14°F |
| Cameron County, PA | 43 km southwest | 156 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Tioga County, PA | 53 km east | 158 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Allegany County, NY | 57 km north | 172 nights | 79 nights | 13°F |
| McKean County, PA | 57 km west | 161 nights | 72 nights | 15°F |
| Clinton County, PA | 61 km south | 152 nights | 60 nights | 17°F |
| Steuben County, NY | 71 km northeast | 168 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
Potter County within PA
Potter County ranks 2 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 2,399 ft, Potter County sits 1,258 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Coudersport (7 mi SE), PA, 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.