Will Pipes Freeze in Wayne County, NY? 54 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Wayne County
In a normal year Wayne County, NY gets 54 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 67% 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 | 133 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 54 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 54 nights of risk to 19 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 10/10, last around 05/06. For 20°F: 11/19 to 04/01.
How cold Wayne County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 18°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°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: 19 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 17°F | 24°F | 34°F | 45°F | 54°F | 59°F | 58°F | 51°F | 41°F | 31°F | 23°F |
Wayne County next to its neighbours
Cayuga County, NY, 45 km southeast, gets 62 nights below 20°F to Wayne County's 54 nights. Monroe County, NY, 53 km west, gets 51 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, NY | - | 133 nights | 54 nights | 16°F |
| Cayuga County, NY | 45 km southeast | 141 nights | 62 nights | 16°F |
| Ontario County, NY | 45 km southwest | 131 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
| Seneca County, NY | 52 km south | 133 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Monroe County, NY | 53 km west | 131 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Yates County, NY | 65 km south | 133 nights | 56 nights | 17°F |
| Oswego County, NY | 73 km east | 147 nights | 63 nights | 13°F |
Wayne County within NY
Wayne County ranks 49 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 503 ft, Wayne County sits 385 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 Sodus (1 mi W), NY, 3 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.