Will Pipes Freeze in Providence County, RI? 49 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Providence County
In a normal year Providence County, RI gets 49 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 63% 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 | 132 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 49 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 15 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 49 nights of risk to 15 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 10/19, last around 04/22. For 20°F: 11/27 to 03/17.
How cold Providence County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 21°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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: 15 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 20°F | 27°F | 37°F | 47°F | 57°F | 63°F | 61°F | 54°F | 42°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Providence County next to its neighbours
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT, 33 km west, gets 60 nights below 20°F to Providence County's 49 nights. Kent County, RI, 22 km south, gets 45 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence County, RI | - | 132 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Kent County, RI | 22 km south | 134 nights | 45 nights | 19°F |
| Bristol County, RI | 30 km southeast | 106 nights | 32 nights | 23°F |
| Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 33 km west | 147 nights | 60 nights | 17°F |
| Bristol County, MA | 43 km east | 124 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
| Norfolk County, MA | 47 km northeast | 138 nights | 54 nights | 21°F |
| Newport County, RI | 48 km southeast | 96 nights | 27 nights | 24°F |
Providence County within RI
Providence County ranks 1 of 5 RI counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Newport County, RI: 27 nights, winter lows near 27°F. At 340 ft, Providence County sits 202 ft above the state's median county elevation of 138 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.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Woonsocket, RI, 15 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.