Prince George's County, Maryland · Upper Marlboro
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Pipes freeze in Prince George's County on about 12 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 21% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Prince George's County averages 9.5 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Prince George's County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Prince George's County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.82 inches, and about 69 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
2% of occupied homes in Prince George's County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Maryland county median of 9.3%.
With 76 muggy nights a year, mold in Prince George's County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 365,506 homes and around 959,754 residents, Prince George's County is 483 square miles of central Maryland. Besides Upper Marlboro, the county seat, the biggest communities are Bowie, Clinton and Chillum. The county's median home was built in 1977.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Prince George's County ranks 7 of 23 Maryland counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Prince George's County ranks highest compared with other Maryland counties.
For frozen pipes, Prince George's County is a typical Maryland county, which is still plenty. It averaged 74 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 12 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 23 Maryland counties that's 12th.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about 2°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 7 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 14 and the last spring freeze around Mar 28.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Maryland. Of roughly 45.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 6th of 23. July, August and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.82 inches, July 22, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.05 inches (through July 24, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 69 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 54% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Prince George's among the oldest housing stocks of Maryland's 23 counties.
The mix runs from 21% built before 1960 to 20% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 26% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Renters occupy 38% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 76 times a year here, close to the Maryland county median of 76. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Prince George's County homes break down as 53% utility gas, 41% electric, 2% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Prince George's County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Howard and Montgomery get more pipe-freeze nights than Prince George's. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Prince George's | Maryland median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 20% | 10 of 23 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 44% | 5 of 23 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 23% | 19 of 23 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 0.6% | 2.6% | 21 of 23 |
| Vacant homes | 4.9% | 7.7% | 16 of 23 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.7% | 9.3% | 23 of 23 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 12/yr | 12 of 23 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.5/yr | 9.3/yr | 6 of 23 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 69/yr | 70/yr | 14 of 23 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 76/yr | 76/yr | 10 of 23 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Maryland county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Prince George's County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in July, August and December.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology