Before the cold arrives
A Florida freeze bursts pipes that a northern winter would not
Not because it gets colder here. Because the water lines run through attics, outside walls and garages that were never built to be cold.
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Short answer. Pipes in southern states start bursting around 20°F, and the risk sits in uninsulated runs through attics, garages and outside walls. Before a hard freeze: let a tap drip, insulate exposed pipe, disconnect hoses and close the valves feeding outside taps. If a pipe is already frozen, never thaw it with an open flame.
How often this actually happens
It depends entirely on where in Florida you are. North Florida averages more than 20 nights a year at or below 32°F. South Florida averages none. Miami International Airport has dropped below freezing seven times in eighty years of record, and not once since 1989.
Source: NOAA / NCICS, Florida State Climate Summary.
What the 2026 freeze did
The National Weather Service issued the first Extreme Cold Warning ever written for Central Florida ahead of the cold that arrived on 30 January 2026. On the morning of 1 February these lows were recorded, all of them breaking records that had stood since the 1930s and 1970s:
| Orlando | 25°F, old record 28°F from 1936 |
|---|---|
| Melbourne | 25°F, old record 32°F |
| Daytona Beach | 23°F, old record 33°F from 1933 |
| Leesburg | 23°F, old record 30°F from 1979 |
| Sanford | 23°F, old record 30°F |
Source: Click Orlando (WKMG), record cold morning across Central Florida, 1 February 2026. Warning: FOX 35 Orlando.
The temperature that matters
Two independent authorities put the same number on it. Pipes in southern states start having problems at about 20°F.
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: water pipes have the potential to freeze and burst when the outside temperature reaches 20°F or below.
- US Department of Energy: southern states generally start having issues with frozen pipes when the temperature reaches about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety does not give a trigger temperature, and instead recommends keeping the thermostat at no less than 55°F.
What to do before the cold arrives
- Drain sprinkler and pool supply lines.
- Take garden hoses off the outside taps and close the interior valves that feed those taps.
- Insulate the pipe that runs through the attic, the garage and any outside wall. Sleeves or heat tape.
- Keep the garage door shut if there is plumbing in there.
- Open the cabinet doors under sinks so warm room air reaches the pipe.
- Hold the thermostat steady, and at 55°F or above if you are leaving the house.
Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Winter Storms: Frozen Pipes.
Dripping a tap is real advice, not folklore. The American Red Cross, the US Department of Energy and IBHS all recommend letting the tap served by exposed pipe drip during extreme cold.
If a pipe is frozen but has not burst yet
Thaw it with an electric heating pad, a hair dryer, a space heater or towels soaked in hot water wrapped around the pipe. Keep the tap open so water can move as the ice gives way.
Where this comes from
Every figure above is published by the organisation named beside it. Nothing on this page is our own estimate.
- NOAA / NCICS, Florida State Climate Summary
- Click Orlando (WKMG), record cold morning across Central Florida, 1 Feb 2026
- FOX 35 Orlando, Extreme Cold Warning for Central Florida
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Winter Storms: Frozen Pipes
- US Department of Energy, Energy Saver, do not let your pipes freeze
- American Red Cross, frozen pipes
- IBHS FORTIFIED, preventing frozen pipes