Will Pipes Freeze in Washington County, PA? 48 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Washington County
In a normal year Washington County, PA gets 48 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 62% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 121 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 48 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 15 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 3 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 48 nights of risk to 15 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 10/23, last around 04/24. For 20°F: 11/27 to 03/23.
How cold Washington County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 23°F; the coldest month, January, averages 20°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 15 nights a year, and 3 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F | 22°F | 29°F | 40°F | 49°F | 58°F | 62°F | 61°F | 54°F | 43°F | 34°F | 26°F |
Washington County next to its neighbours
Greene County, PA, 39 km south, gets 49 nights below 20°F to Washington County's 48 nights. Brooke County, WV, 29 km west, gets 38 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, PA | - | 121 nights | 48 nights | 20°F |
| Brooke County, WV | 29 km west | 111 nights | 38 nights | 21°F |
| Ohio County, WV | 33 km west | 108 nights | 36 nights | 22°F |
| Allegheny County, PA | 38 km northeast | 105 nights | 34 nights | 21°F |
| Greene County, PA | 39 km south | 137 nights | 49 nights | 19°F |
| Hancock County, WV | 44 km northwest | 116 nights | 39 nights | 20°F |
| Jefferson County, OH | 49 km northwest | 115 nights | 41 nights | 20°F |
Washington County within PA
Washington County ranks 40 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 1,229 ft, Washington County sits 88 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.
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 Washington (3 mi NE), PA, 6 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.