Will Pipes Freeze in Steuben County, NY? 78 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Steuben County
In a normal year Steuben County, NY gets 78 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 81% 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 | 168 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 78 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 38 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 14 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 78 nights of risk to 38 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 10/03, last around 05/12. For 20°F: 11/13 to 04/06.
How cold Steuben County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 15°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 38 nights a year, and 14 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 13°F | 20°F | 31°F | 42°F | 51°F | 55°F | 54°F | 47°F | 37°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Steuben County next to its neighbours
Allegany County, NY, 53 km west, gets 79 nights below 20°F to Steuben County's 78 nights. Schuyler County, NY, 40 km northeast, gets 70 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steuben County, NY | - | 168 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Schuyler County, NY | 40 km northeast | 153 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Yates County, NY | 47 km northeast | 133 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
| Allegany County, NY | 53 km west | 172 nights | 79 nights | 13°F |
| Chemung County, NY | 54 km east | 155 nights | 68 nights | 16°F |
| Tioga County, PA | 57 km south | 158 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Livingston County, NY | 61 km northwest | 140 nights | 61 nights | 16°F |
Steuben County within NY
Steuben County ranks 13 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 1,617 ft, Steuben County sits 729 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 Bath, NY, 10 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.