Will Pipes Freeze in Rensselaer County, NY? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Rensselaer County
In a normal year Rensselaer County, NY gets 73 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 79% 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 | 153 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 12 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 34 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 10/11, last around 05/01. For 20°F: 11/16 to 03/31.
How cold Rensselaer 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: 34 nights a year, and 12 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 15°F | 23°F | 35°F | 45°F | 53°F | 58°F | 57°F | 50°F | 40°F | 30°F | 21°F |
Rensselaer County next to its neighbours
Berkshire County, MA, 45 km southeast, gets 75 nights below 20°F to Rensselaer County's 73 nights. Albany County, NY, 40 km west, gets 72 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaer County, NY | - | 153 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Albany County, NY | 40 km west | 153 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Berkshire County, MA | 45 km southeast | 161 nights | 75 nights | 13°F |
| Schenectady County, NY | 45 km west | 151 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Bennington County, VT | 49 km northeast | 168 nights | 81 nights | 10°F |
| Saratoga County, NY | 52 km northwest | 148 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Columbia County, NY | 52 km south | 149 nights | 67 nights | 15°F |
Rensselaer County within NY
Rensselaer County ranks 24 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 1,232 ft, Rensselaer County sits 344 ft above 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.
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 Grafton, NY, 9 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.