Hamilton County, New York · Lake Pleasant
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With 39% of homes built before 1960 and about 91 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
August brings the most downpours to Hamilton County, part of 8.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
39% 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.
Hamilton County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.05 inches, and about 112 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
50% of occupied homes in Hamilton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the New York county median of 19%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about once a year in Hamilton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 5,089 people live in Hamilton County, 1,717 square miles in northeast New York, in roughly 7,911 homes. The county seat is Lake Pleasant, and Long Lake, Wells and Speculator round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hamilton County ranks 11 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hamilton County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Hamilton County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of New York. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 91 nights a year at or below 20°F (1st of 57) and 179 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 4, 2023 the low fell to about -29°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 43 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to April. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 6 and end around May 16.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of New York. About 8.1 days a year bring an inch or more (9th of 57), most often in August, out of 51 inches of total precipitation. On November 1, 2019, 3.05 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.86 inches, ending August 20, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 112 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
64% of homes in Hamilton County predate 1980, close to the New York county median of 66.8%, which ranks 41st of New York's 57 counties.
The mix runs from 39% built before 1960 to 16% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
12% 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.
The Census counted 69% of homes as vacant, above the New York county median of 13.9%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Hamilton County averages 1 warm, muggy night a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. 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, Hamilton County homes break down as 2% utility gas, 8% electric, 31% propane and 19% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the New York norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hamilton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hamilton gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Fulton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hamilton | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 39% | 45% | 44 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 64% | 67% | 41 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 13% | 12 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 7.6% | 9 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 69% | 14% | 1 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 50% | 19% | 1 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 91/yr | 55/yr | 1 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.1/yr | 6/yr | 9 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 112/yr | 101/yr | 1 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 1/yr | 12/yr | 57 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 Hamilton County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, July and August.
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