Will Pipes Freeze in Windsor County, VT? 88 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Windsor County
In a normal year Windsor County, VT gets 88 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 87% 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 | 176 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 88 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 50 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 24 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 88 nights of risk to 50 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 05/13. For 20°F: 11/06 to 04/05.
How cold Windsor County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 11°F; the coldest month, January, averages 8°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: 50 nights a year, and 24 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8°F | 9°F | 18°F | 30°F | 42°F | 52°F | 57°F | 55°F | 47°F | 35°F | 26°F | 16°F |
Windsor County next to its neighbours
Sullivan County, NH, 38 km southeast, gets 94 nights below 20°F to Windsor County's 88 nights. Rutland County, VT, 37 km west, gets 80 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor County, VT | - | 176 nights | 88 nights | 8°F |
| Rutland County, VT | 37 km west | 163 nights | 80 nights | 8°F |
| Sullivan County, NH | 38 km southeast | 185 nights | 94 nights | 9°F |
| Orange County, VT | 51 km north | 178 nights | 96 nights | 6°F |
| Windham County, VT | 65 km south | 167 nights | 77 nights | 10°F |
| Addison County, VT | 67 km northwest | 159 nights | 82 nights | 9°F |
| Grafton County, NH | 72 km northeast | 179 nights | 91 nights | 7°F |
Windsor County within VT
Windsor County ranks 7 of 14 VT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Essex County, VT at 106 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Windham County, VT: 77 nights, winter lows near 13°F. At 1,982 ft, Windsor County sits 1,007 ft above the state's median county elevation of 974 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 Woodstock, VT, 10 km away (fair 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.