Worcester County, Maryland · Snow Hill
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Worcester County averages 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 9% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in October. Worcester County averages 9.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Worcester County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 59 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
14% of occupied homes in Worcester County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Maryland county median of 9.3%.
With 85 muggy nights a year, mold in Worcester County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Worcester County covers 468 square miles of southeast Maryland, with about 53,700 residents and 56,867 homes. The county seat is Snow Hill, and Ocean Pines, Ocean City and Berlin round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
28/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Worcester County ranks 23 of 23 Maryland counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Worcester County ranks highest compared with other Maryland counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Maryland, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 9 nights a year at or below 20°F (21st of 23) and 63 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2016. The coldest night reached about 0°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 17 and end around Mar 28.
Rainfall is about average for Maryland. About 9.1 days a year bring an inch or more (15th of 23), most often in October, out of 46.1 inches of total precipitation. On September 30, 2016, 6.39 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.63 inches, ending September 30, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 59 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Roughly 37% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Worcester among the newer housing stocks of Maryland's 23 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 9% predate 1960 and 21% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 42% 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.
58% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 85 times a year here, above the Maryland county median of 76. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Worcester County homes break down as 16% utility gas, 64% electric, 12% propane and 2% wood. Propane heat is 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 Worcester County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Wicomico gets more pipe-freeze nights than Worcester. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Wicomico County has the oldest housing nearby, with 44% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Worcester | Maryland median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 9.3% | 20% | 21 of 23 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 37% | 44% | 17 of 23 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 23% | 16 of 23 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.8% | 2.6% | 6 of 23 |
| Vacant homes | 58% | 7.7% | 1 of 23 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 9.3% | 7 of 23 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 12/yr | 21 of 23 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.1/yr | 9.3/yr | 15 of 23 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 59/yr | 70/yr | 22 of 23 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 85/yr | 76/yr | 2 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 Worcester 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