Will Pipes Freeze in Strafford County, NH? 63 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Strafford County
In a normal year Strafford County, NH gets 63 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 73% 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 | 146 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 63 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 25 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 7 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 63 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 10/09, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/20 to 03/27.
How cold Strafford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 25 nights a year, and 7 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 17°F | 25°F | 35°F | 45°F | 54°F | 60°F | 58°F | 50°F | 39°F | 31°F | 22°F |
Strafford County next to its neighbours
York County, ME, 33 km northeast, gets 70 nights below 20°F to Strafford County's 63 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford County, NH | - | 146 nights | 63 nights | 15°F |
| York County, ME | 33 km northeast | 156 nights | 70 nights | 11°F |
| Rockingham County, NH | 34 km south | 154 nights | 65 nights | 14°F |
| Belknap County, NH | 40 km northwest | 152 nights | 72 nights | 12°F |
| Merrimack County, NH | 52 km west | 172 nights | 80 nights | 12°F |
| Carroll County, NH | 65 km north | 183 nights | 92 nights | 8°F |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 70 km southwest | 161 nights | 72 nights | 14°F |
Strafford County within NH
Strafford County ranks 10 of 10 NH counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Coos County, NH at 110 nights, with a 6°F average winter low. At 321 ft, Strafford County sits 392 ft below the state's median county elevation of 712 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 Rochester Skyhaven Airport, NH, 9 km away (close 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.