Somerset County, Maryland · Princess Anne
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Somerset County averages 8 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 25% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.5 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Somerset County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 58 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
27% of occupied homes in Somerset County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Maryland county median of 9.3%.
With 90 muggy nights a year, mold in Somerset County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 10,928 homes and around 24,822 residents, Somerset County is 320 square miles of southeast Maryland. Princess Anne is the county seat; Crisfield, Mount Vernon and Eden are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Somerset County ranks 11 of 23 Maryland counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Somerset County ranks highest compared with other Maryland counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Maryland, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 8 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 62 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 23rd of 23 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2016. The coldest night reached about 1°F on February 21, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 16 and end around Mar 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Maryland. The county gets about 45.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 9.5 days of an inch or more (6th of 23). Those downpours cluster in March, July and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.54 inches on September 30, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.15 inches, ending September 30, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 58 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
42% of homes in Somerset County predate 1980, close to the Maryland county median of 43.9%, which ranks 14th of Maryland's 23 counties.
In Somerset County 25% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
29% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
8% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Maryland county median of 2.6%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 24% of homes as vacant, above the Maryland county median of 7.7%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
About 90 nights a year in Somerset County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (1st of 23 counties). July is the wettest month. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Somerset County's occupied homes: 3% utility gas, 56% electric, 22% propane and 6% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Maryland counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Somerset County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Somerset. Dorchester County has the oldest housing nearby, with 57% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Somerset | Maryland median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 20% | 8 of 23 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 42% | 44% | 14 of 23 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 23% | 6 of 23 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.3% | 2.6% | 2 of 23 |
| Vacant homes | 24% | 7.7% | 3 of 23 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 9.3% | 2 of 23 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 8/yr | 12/yr | 23 of 23 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.5/yr | 9.3/yr | 6 of 23 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 58/yr | 70/yr | 23 of 23 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 90/yr | 76/yr | 1 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 Somerset County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, July and October.
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