Boston's Typical First Freeze Lands Around October 11

The National Weather Service’s Boston/Norton office runs a Frost/Freeze Program for the region, and for the zone covering Greater Boston, that program runs from May 1 to October 11. The office says the October 11 end date is roughly aligned with the area’s median first freeze, at 32°F or lower.

What a freeze does to outdoor water

Water sitting in an exposed pipe, hose or sprinkler line can freeze once the temperature drops to that mark, and freezing water expands enough to crack the line it’s sitting in. That’s the plumbing damage homeowners are trying to get ahead of every fall.

Two things to do before then

Disconnect and drain garden hoses, and store them somewhere they won’t sit full of water. For outdoor spigots, shut the inside shutoff valve, then open the spigot itself to drain whatever’s left in the line between the valve and the opening. If you have an in-ground irrigation system, it commonly needs a separate professional blow-out with compressed air, since a manual valve alone can leave water in some buried lines.

The countdown

From today, September 22, to October 11 is 19 days. October 11 is the date NWS Boston’s fall alert program ends for this area, which the office says roughly lines up with the median first freeze. Some years the actual freeze arrives earlier, some later, but it’s a reasonable date to work backward from.

Getting a home ready for winter, one way or another

Whether you’re buying a place with its first winter ahead of it or selling one before the market slows, timing these seasonal jobs matters. Buying or selling before winter? Let’s talk timing. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.