Will Pipes Freeze in Tioga County, PA? 70 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Tioga County
In a normal year Tioga County, PA gets 70 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 | 158 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 70 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 30 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 70 nights of risk to 30 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 05/10. For 20°F: 11/13 to 04/03.
How cold Tioga County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°F; the coldest month, January, averages 15°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: 30 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15°F | 15°F | 22°F | 33°F | 44°F | 53°F | 57°F | 56°F | 49°F | 38°F | 29°F | 21°F |
Tioga County next to its neighbours
Potter County, PA, 53 km west, gets 76 nights below 20°F to Tioga County's 70 nights. Lycoming County, PA, 50 km south, gets 50 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tioga County, PA | - | 158 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Lycoming County, PA | 50 km south | 131 nights | 50 nights | 19°F |
| Potter County, PA | 53 km west | 164 nights | 76 nights | 14°F |
| Steuben County, NY | 57 km north | 168 nights | 78 nights | 13°F |
| Chemung County, NY | 60 km northeast | 155 nights | 68 nights | 16°F |
| Bradford County, PA | 63 km east | 147 nights | 61 nights | 17°F |
| Clinton County, PA | 66 km southwest | 152 nights | 60 nights | 17°F |
Tioga County within PA
Tioga County ranks 7 of 67 PA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Susquehanna County, PA at 80 nights, with a 15°F average winter low. The fewest is Delaware County, PA: 15 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,536 ft, Tioga County sits 395 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.
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 Wellsboro (4 mi SW), PA, 13 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.