Will Pipes Freeze in Wayne County, PA? 73 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Wayne County
In a normal year Wayne County, PA gets 73 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 79% 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 | 163 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 73 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 32 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 73 nights of risk to 32 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 10/01, last around 05/14. For 20°F: 11/08 to 04/08.
How cold Wayne County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 16°F; the coldest month, January, averages 13°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: 32 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13°F | 14°F | 22°F | 32°F | 43°F | 53°F | 57°F | 55°F | 48°F | 37°F | 28°F | 20°F |
Wayne County next to its neighbours
Susquehanna County, PA, 46 km northwest, gets 80 nights below 20°F to Wayne County's 73 nights. Lackawanna County, PA, 35 km southwest, gets 52 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, PA | - | 163 nights | 73 nights | 13°F |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 35 km southwest | 132 nights | 52 nights | 19°F |
| Pike County, PA | 42 km southeast | 150 nights | 65 nights | 15°F |
| Sullivan County, NY | 44 km east | 163 nights | 74 nights | 13°F |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 46 km northwest | 168 nights | 80 nights | 13°F |
| Wyoming County, PA | 61 km west | 156 nights | 69 nights | 15°F |
| Monroe County, PA | 66 km south | 146 nights | 59 nights | 17°F |
Wayne County within PA
Wayne County ranks 4 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 1,367 ft, Wayne County sits 226 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.
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 Pleasant Mount (1 mi W), PA, 16 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.