Will Pipes Freeze in Schenectady County, NY? 72 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Schenectady County
In a normal year Schenectady County, NY gets 72 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 78% 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 | 151 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 72 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 72 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 10/07, last around 05/07. For 20°F: 11/12 to 04/01.
How cold Schenectady County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, 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 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 14°F | 21°F | 34°F | 45°F | 54°F | 59°F | 57°F | 49°F | 38°F | 29°F | 20°F |
Schenectady County next to its neighbours
Schoharie County, NY, 41 km southwest, gets 76 nights below 20°F to Schenectady County's 72 nights. Montgomery County, NY, 33 km west, gets 71 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady County, NY | - | 151 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Albany County, NY | 26 km south | 153 nights | 72 nights | 13°F |
| Montgomery County, NY | 33 km west | 150 nights | 71 nights | 12°F |
| Saratoga County, NY | 36 km northeast | 148 nights | 68 nights | 13°F |
| Schoharie County, NY | 41 km southwest | 156 nights | 76 nights | 12°F |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 45 km east | 153 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Fulton County, NY | 45 km northwest | 179 nights | 95 nights | 7°F |
Schenectady County within NY
Schenectady County ranks 26 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, Schenectady 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 Delanson (2 mi NE), NY, 12 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.