Will Pipes Freeze in Somerset County, PA? 67 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Somerset County
In a normal year Somerset County, PA gets 67 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 75% 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 | 148 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 67 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 25 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 67 nights of risk to 25 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 10/05, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 11/09 to 04/03.
How cold Somerset County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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: 25 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 17°F | 24°F | 34°F | 45°F | 54°F | 58°F | 57°F | 50°F | 39°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Somerset County next to its neighbours
Bedford County, PA, 46 km east, gets 54 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset County, PA | - | 148 nights | 67 nights | 16°F |
| Bedford County, PA | 46 km east | 144 nights | 54 nights | 19°F |
| Allegany County, MD | 50 km southeast | 114 nights | 33 nights | 22°F |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 52 km northwest | 137 nights | 53 nights | 19°F |
| Fayette County, PA | 53 km west | 138 nights | 54 nights | 17°F |
| Garrett County, MD | 53 km southwest | 143 nights | 57 nights | 18°F |
| Mineral County, WV | 64 km south | 128 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
Somerset County within PA
Somerset County ranks 12 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 2,357 ft, Somerset County sits 1,216 ft above 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.
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 Meyersdale (2 mi SSW), PA, 22 km away (fair 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.