Will Pipes Freeze in Tioga County, NY? 71 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Tioga County
In a normal year Tioga County, NY gets 71 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 77% 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 | 71 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 34 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 71 nights of risk to 34 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: 11/12 to 04/04.
How cold Tioga County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 14°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, December: 34 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 14°F | 21°F | 32°F | 42°F | 52°F | 56°F | 55°F | 48°F | 37°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Tioga County next to its neighbours
Cortland County, NY, 50 km north, gets 74 nights below 20°F to Tioga County's 71 nights. Tompkins County, NY, 34 km northwest, gets 66 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tioga County, NY | - | 163 nights | 71 nights | 14°F |
| Tompkins County, NY | 34 km northwest | 149 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Chemung County, NY | 38 km west | 155 nights | 68 nights | 16°F |
| Broome County, NY | 39 km east | 150 nights | 66 nights | 15°F |
| Bradford County, PA | 46 km south | 147 nights | 61 nights | 17°F |
| Cortland County, NY | 50 km north | 158 nights | 74 nights | 12°F |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 57 km southeast | 168 nights | 80 nights | 13°F |
Tioga County within NY
Tioga County ranks 28 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 1,284 ft, Tioga County sits 396 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.
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 Spencer (1 mi NE), NY, 15 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.