Broome County, New York · Binghamton
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Pipes freeze in Broome County on about 55 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 52% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.8 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Broome County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 101 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
11% of occupied homes in Broome County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the New York county median of 19%.
With 9 muggy nights a year, mold in Broome County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Broome County covers 706 square miles of central New York, with about 197,378 residents and 93,164 homes. Binghamton is the county seat; Johnson City, Endicott and Endwell are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Broome County ranks 8 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Broome County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Broome County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 144 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 55 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 57 New York counties that's 28th.
On February 24, 2015 the low fell to about -16°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 14 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 18 and end around May 6.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of New York. About 6.8 days a year bring an inch or more (19th of 57), most often in August, out of 46.1 inches of total precipitation. On October 30, 2017, 2.32 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.62 inches, ending August 15, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 101 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 79% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Broome among the oldest housing stocks of New York's 57 counties.
In Broome County 52% 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.
Renters occupy 36% 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
About 9 nights a year in Broome County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (37th of 57 counties). August is the wettest month. 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, Broome County homes break down as 59% utility gas, 18% electric, 8% propane and 2% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Broome County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Chenango, Cortland and Delaware get more pipe-freeze nights than Broome. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Broome | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 52% | 45% | 14 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 79% | 67% | 3 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.9% | 13% | 57 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.4% | 7.6% | 42 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 14% | 30 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 19% | 42 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 55/yr | 55/yr | 28 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.8/yr | 6/yr | 19 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 101/yr | 101/yr | 27 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 9/yr | 12/yr | 37 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 Broome County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, August 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