Will Pipes Freeze in Putnam County, NY? 56 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Putnam County
In a normal year Putnam County, NY gets 56 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 69% 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 | 131 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 56 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 56 nights of risk to 19 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 10/25, last around 04/21. For 20°F: 11/25 to 03/22.
How cold Putnam County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 19 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 19°F | 26°F | 37°F | 48°F | 57°F | 62°F | 61°F | 54°F | 42°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Putnam County next to its neighbours
Dutchess County, NY, 36 km north, gets 59 nights below 20°F to Putnam County's 56 nights. Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT, 30 km southeast, gets 48 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, NY | - | 131 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
| Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 30 km southeast | 130 nights | 48 nights | 19°F |
| Westchester County, NY | 31 km south | 115 nights | 40 nights | 19°F |
| Dutchess County, NY | 36 km north | 144 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Rockland County, NY | 38 km southwest | 120 nights | 43 nights | 18°F |
| Orange County, NY | 47 km west | 137 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 52 km southeast | 96 nights | 28 nights | 24°F |
Putnam County within NY
Putnam County ranks 47 of 62 NY counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, NY at 107 nights, with a 7°F average winter low. The fewest is Bronx County, NY: 16 nights, winter lows near 30°F. At 912 ft, Putnam County sits close to the state's median county elevation of 888 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 Stormville, NY, 12 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.