Over the 30 winters from 1997 to 2026, Chicopee averaged 130 nights at or below freezing, 50 nights at or below 20°F, about 18 at or below 10°F and about 5 at or below zero. Most burst pipe waves came one to three days after a long cold spell broke. Pipe burst in this winter's cold? Call (413) 603-1274.
How we built this
We used daily high and low temperatures for Chicopee Center (42.149 N, 72.608 W) from the PRISM gridded climate dataset, accessed through NOAA's Applied Climate Information System, covering July 1996 through September 2026. A winter is labeled by its January year, so "2026" means November 2025 to March 2026. Gridded values are smoother than a single station. The Westover Field station (KCEF), which reads colder on clear, still nights, is noted where it matters.
Average freezing nights per winter
| Measure | 1997 to 2026 average | 2017 to 2026 average |
|---|---|---|
| Nights at or below 32°F | 130 | 126 |
| Nights at or below 20°F | 50 | 44 |
| Nights at or below 10°F | 17.6 | 13.9 |
| Nights at or below 0°F | 4.8 | 3.6 |
| Days that never got above 32°F | 28.5 | 24 |
Recent winters: nights at or below 20°F
| Winter | Nights at or below 20°F |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 50 |
| 2018 | 49 |
| 2019 | 56 |
| 2020 | 41 |
| 2021 | 40 |
| 2022 | 46 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 24 |
| 2025 | 57 |
| 2026 | 55 |
After two mild winters, 2025 and 2026 were the coldest in about seven years. Winter 2026 had 26 nights at or below 10°F and 7 at or below zero, and Westover Field recorded 15 below on January 31, 2026.
When the hard freezes come
Across 30 winters, January had the most nights at or below 20°F (541), then February (437), December (310) and March (163). Nights at or below zero happened almost only in January and February.
The longest stretches below freezing
- January 15 to 31, 2003: 17 days in a row with highs at or below 32°F
- January 16 to 30, 2005: 15 days
- December 27, 2017 to January 9, 2018: 14 days, low of 12 below
- February 12 to 22, 2015: 11 days, low of 13 below
- January 25 to February 2, 2026: 9 days (10 days at Westover, with a low of 15 below)
Burst pipe waves in the record
We counted 64 events in 30 years where a night at or below 5°F was followed within three days by a high of 45°F or warmer, the pattern that splits pipes and then floods houses as they thaw. Local reports line up with the data:
- February 2015: the Chicopee Water Department took over 100 frozen pipe calls in two weeks
- February 2016: a weekend below 15°F, wind chills of 31 below at Westover, then the low 50s. The Chicopee Fire Department lent out pumps as pipes burst on the thaw
- February 2023: 9 below, then 48°F two days later. Holyoke firefighters answered about 50 calls overnight, 28 of them burst pipes
See why pipes burst when they thaw.
What it means for your house
Half of Chicopee homes were built before 1960, many with pipes in exterior walls, porches and drafty sills. With roughly 50 hard-freeze nights a winter, the question is not whether those pipes see freezing weather but how often. See what temperature pipes freeze and pipe freeze protection.
Using this data
You are welcome to cite this report with a link back to this page. Source data: PRISM Climate Group (Oregon State University) via NOAA ACIS, and the NOAA Westover Field station. News reports: WWLP and Western Mass News.
Questions
Is Chicopee getting fewer freezes?
The last ten winters averaged a little fewer hard-freeze nights than the 30-year average, but 2025 and 2026 were both colder than average. Year to year swings are large.
What is the coldest month for frozen pipes?
January, followed by February.
Frozen or burst pipes this winter? Call now
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee. Read the Chicopee frozen pipes guide.