Will Pipes Freeze in Ulster County, NY? 64 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Ulster County
In a normal year Ulster County, NY gets 64 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 73% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 144 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 64 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 26 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 8 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 64 nights of risk to 26 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 10/27, last around 04/21. For 20°F: 11/29 to 03/23.
How cold Ulster County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 17°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: 26 nights a year, and 8 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17°F | 18°F | 25°F | 36°F | 47°F | 56°F | 61°F | 60°F | 53°F | 41°F | 32°F | 23°F |
Ulster County next to its neighbours
Greene County, NY, 39 km north, gets 89 nights below 20°F to Ulster County's 64 nights. Dutchess County, NY, 48 km southeast, gets 59 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster County, NY | - | 144 nights | 64 nights | 17°F |
| Greene County, NY | 39 km north | 180 nights | 89 nights | 11°F |
| Dutchess County, NY | 48 km southeast | 144 nights | 59 nights | 16°F |
| Sullivan County, NY | 49 km southwest | 163 nights | 74 nights | 13°F |
| Orange County, NY | 61 km south | 137 nights | 55 nights | 17°F |
| Columbia County, NY | 62 km northeast | 149 nights | 67 nights | 15°F |
| Delaware County, NY | 64 km northwest | 170 nights | 81 nights | 12°F |
Ulster County within NY
Ulster County ranks 36 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 712 ft, Ulster County sits 176 ft below 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.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Mohonk Lake, NY, 22 km away (fair 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.