Will Pipes Freeze in Susquehanna County, PA? 80 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Susquehanna County
In a normal year Susquehanna County, PA gets 80 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 82% 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 | 80 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 39 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 13 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 80 nights of risk to 39 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 10/02, last around 05/14. For 20°F: 11/12 to 04/07.
How cold Susquehanna 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: 39 nights a year, and 13 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 13°F | 21°F | 32°F | 43°F | 52°F | 56°F | 55°F | 47°F | 36°F | 27°F | 19°F |
Susquehanna County next to its neighbours
Wyoming County, PA, 37 km southwest, gets 69 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna County, PA | - | 168 nights | 80 nights | 13°F |
| Wyoming County, PA | 37 km southwest | 156 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Broome County, NY | 38 km north | 150 nights | 66 nights | 15°F |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 45 km south | 132 nights | 52 nights | 19°F |
| Wayne County, PA | 46 km southeast | 163 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Tioga County, NY | 57 km northwest | 163 nights | 71 nights | 14°F |
| Bradford County, PA | 58 km west | 147 nights | 61 nights | 17°F |
Susquehanna County within PA
Susquehanna County ranks 1 of 67 PA counties for nights below 20°F. The fewest is Delaware County, PA: 15 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,343 ft, Susquehanna County sits 202 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 Montrose, PA, 6 km away (close 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.