Allegany County, New York · Belmont
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With 45% of homes built before 1960 and about 59 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
July brings the most downpours to Allegany County, part of 4.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
45% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Allegany County, 3.05 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
25% of occupied homes in Allegany County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the New York county median of 19%.
With 6 muggy nights a year, mold in Allegany County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 23,540 homes and around 47,159 residents, Allegany County is 1,030 square miles of western New York. Besides Belmont, the county seat, the biggest communities are Wellsville, Alfred and Cuba. The county's median home was built in 1966.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Allegany County ranks 44 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Allegany County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
For frozen pipes, Allegany County is a typical New York county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 59 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 147 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 22nd of 57 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -20°F on February 16, 2015.
The freeze season here runs November to April, 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 Oct 14 and the last spring freeze around May 10.
Allegany gets fewer downpours than most New York counties, but they still fill basements. About 4.1 days a year bring an inch or more (47th of 57), most often in July, out of 40.5 inches of total precipitation. On September 30, 2015, 3.05 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.99 inches (through October 22, 2016).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 104 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
New York's 57 counties range widely in housing age; Allegany ranks 25th, with 68% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 45% built before 1960 to 13% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
16% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the New York county median of 7.6%. 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.
With 25% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
About 6 nights a year in Allegany County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (43rd of 57 counties). October is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Allegany County's occupied homes: 53% utility gas, 13% electric, 15% propane and 11% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most New York 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 Allegany County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Allegany gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Wyoming County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Allegany | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 45% | 29 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 68% | 67% | 25 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 13% | 28 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 7.6% | 3 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 25% | 14% | 9 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 25% | 19% | 16 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 59/yr | 55/yr | 22 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.1/yr | 6/yr | 47 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 104/yr | 101/yr | 14 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 12/yr | 43 of 57 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest New York county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Allegany County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in July, September 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