Will Pipes Freeze in Washington County, ME? 87 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washington County
In a normal year Washington County, ME gets 87 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 86% 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 | 165 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 87 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 48 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 19 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 87 nights of risk to 48 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 10/15, last around 05/02. For 20°F: 11/18 to 04/02.
How cold Washington County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 14°F; the coldest month, January, averages 11°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: 48 nights a year, and 19 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11°F | 12°F | 22°F | 33°F | 44°F | 53°F | 59°F | 58°F | 50°F | 40°F | 30°F | 20°F |
Washington County next to its neighbours
Penobscot County, ME, 96 km northwest, gets 101 nights below 20°F to Washington County's 87 nights. Hancock County, ME, 75 km southwest, gets 75 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, ME | - | 165 nights | 87 nights | 11°F |
| Hancock County, ME | 75 km southwest | 160 nights | 75 nights | 11°F |
| Penobscot County, ME | 96 km northwest | 175 nights | 101 nights | 4°F |
| Waldo County, ME | 131 km southwest | 158 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
| Knox County, ME | 153 km southwest | 133 nights | 55 nights | 16°F |
| Piscataquis County, ME | 157 km northwest | 188 nights | 109 nights | 2°F |
| Kennebec County, ME | 181 km west | 151 nights | 76 nights | 11°F |
Washington County within ME
Washington County ranks 7 of 16 ME counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Franklin County, ME at 116 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Knox County, ME: 55 nights, winter lows near 19°F. At 83 ft, Washington County sits 215 ft below the state's median county elevation of 298 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 Wesley, ME, 5 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. How a county figure is built from stations: how the numbers are made.