Will Pipes Freeze in Sullivan County, NY? 74 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Sullivan County
In a normal year Sullivan County, NY gets 74 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 79% 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 | 163 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 74 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 31 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 9 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 74 nights of risk to 31 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 05/09. For 20°F: 11/14 to 04/03.
How cold Sullivan 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: 31 nights a year, and 9 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 13°F | 21°F | 33°F | 43°F | 52°F | 57°F | 55°F | 48°F | 37°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Sullivan County next to its neighbours
Delaware County, NY, 55 km north, gets 81 nights below 20°F to Sullivan County's 74 nights. Pike County, PA, 49 km southwest, gets 65 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, NY | - | 163 nights | 74 nights | 13°F |
| Wayne County, PA | 44 km west | 163 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Pike County, PA | 49 km southwest | 150 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Ulster County, NY | 49 km northeast | 144 nights | 64 nights | 17°F |
| Orange County, NY | 52 km southeast | 137 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Delaware County, NY | 55 km north | 170 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
| Sussex County, NJ | 65 km south | 142 nights | 58 nights | 17°F |
Sullivan County within NY
Sullivan County ranks 23 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 1,345 ft, Sullivan County sits 457 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 Liberty (1 mi NE), NY, 10 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.