Will Pipes Freeze in Tompkins County, NY? 66 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Tompkins County
In a normal year Tompkins County, NY gets 66 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 75% 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 | 149 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 66 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 29 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 11 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 66 nights of risk to 29 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 05/11. For 20°F: 11/14 to 04/06.
How cold Tompkins County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 17°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: 29 nights a year, and 11 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14°F | 15°F | 22°F | 33°F | 44°F | 53°F | 58°F | 56°F | 49°F | 39°F | 30°F | 22°F |
Tompkins County next to its neighbours
Tioga County, NY, 34 km southeast, gets 71 nights below 20°F to Tompkins County's 66 nights. Seneca County, NY, 47 km northwest, gets 58 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tompkins County, NY | - | 149 nights | 66 nights | 14°F |
| Tioga County, NY | 34 km southeast | 163 nights | 71 nights | 14°F |
| Cortland County, NY | 36 km northeast | 158 nights | 74 nights | 12°F |
| Schuyler County, NY | 38 km west | 153 nights | 70 nights | 15°F |
| Chemung County, NY | 41 km southwest | 155 nights | 68 nights | 16°F |
| Seneca County, NY | 47 km northwest | 133 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Yates County, NY | 56 km west | 133 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
Tompkins County within NY
Tompkins County ranks 34 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 850 ft, Tompkins County sits close to 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 Ithaca Cornell Univ, NY, 2 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.