Yonkers sees about 83 days a year at or below 32°F, and its average January low is about 25°F. Choose a town from the list and the place your pipes run, and the checker rates how exposed those pipes are on a freezing night.
You get a risk level and the steps that help before a cold night.
We look at two things. The first is the average January low where you live, taken from ten years of daily weather. The second is where the pipes run. Pipes in an attic, a crawl space or a garage lose heat faster than pipes in a heated inside wall, and pipes on an outside wall or an outdoor spigot are the most exposed.
Each one adds points. A low score reads as low risk. Higher scores read as moderate, high or severe.
With a January low of about 25°F, Yonkers scores on the second-highest of the four climate steps, so the pipe location decides the rest. A pipe inside a heated, insulated wall reads moderate, one in a crawl space, garage or attic reads high, and an exterior wall or outdoor spigot reads severe.
An average is a typical figure and not a forecast. A single cold night can be colder than the January average, so the steps in the result are worth doing once and leaving in place.
Know where the main water shut-off valve is. Drain and disconnect garden hoses and cover outdoor spigots before the first freeze. Insulate pipes in unheated spaces. On a freezing night, a slight drip at a faucet and open cabinet doors on outside walls help. If you will be away, keep the heat on or have the plumbing drained. A plumber can look at any run you are unsure about.
Yes. Daymet records for 2015 to 2024 put Yonkers at about 83 days a year at or below 32°F, with January nights averaging about 25°F. Outdoor spigots, pipes along outside walls and lines through an unheated garage or crawl space are the exposed ones. Pick another town in the checker to see its own figures.
Water freezes at 32°F, but a pipe needs several hours of cold to freeze through. Pipes in an unheated space or on an outside wall are the first to go.
A slight drip keeps water moving through the pipe, and opening cabinet doors lets warm air reach pipes under sinks on outside walls. Both are simple steps for a night that drops below freezing.
It is usually where the water line enters the house, in a garage, a utility room or on an outside wall near the meter. Find it before you need it, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is.
Keep the heat on at 55°F or higher, or have the plumbing drained before you leave. A plumber can drain the system and tell you how to bring it back.
Climate figures: Daymet daily data 2015 to 2024 for each place.
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