Will Pipes Freeze in Schuylkill County, PA? 47 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Schuylkill County
In a normal year Schuylkill County, PA gets 47 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 62% 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 | 129 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 47 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 47 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 10/20, last around 04/27. For 20°F: 11/28 to 03/21.
How cold Schuylkill County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 22°F; the coldest month, January, averages 19°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, December: 15 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19°F | 21°F | 28°F | 38°F | 48°F | 58°F | 62°F | 60°F | 53°F | 42°F | 32°F | 25°F |
Schuylkill County next to its neighbours
Columbia County, PA, 41 km north, gets 53 nights below 20°F to Schuylkill County's 47 nights. Berks County, PA, 41 km southeast, gets 33 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuylkill County, PA | - | 129 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
| Berks County, PA | 41 km southeast | 107 nights | 33 nights | 23°F |
| Columbia County, PA | 41 km north | 136 nights | 53 nights | 18°F |
| Lebanon County, PA | 42 km southwest | 120 nights | 39 nights | 22°F |
| Northumberland County, PA | 45 km west | 133 nights | 46 nights | 19°F |
| Carbon County, PA | 49 km northeast | 152 nights | 65 nights | 17°F |
| Montour County, PA | 52 km northwest | 132 nights | 47 nights | 19°F |
Schuylkill County within PA
Schuylkill County ranks 43 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 905 ft, Schuylkill County sits 237 ft below 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.
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 Bear Gap, PA, 27 km away (fair 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.