Herkimer County, New York · Herkimer
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Pipes freeze in Herkimer County on about 82 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 55% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Herkimer County averages 7.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Herkimer County gets about 7.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 107 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
16% of occupied homes in Herkimer County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the New York county median of 19%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 3 times a year in Herkimer County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 59,757 people live in Herkimer County, 1,411 square miles in northeast New York, in roughly 32,459 homes. Herkimer is the county seat; Ilion, Little Falls and Mohawk are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1954.
76/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Herkimer County ranks 2 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Herkimer County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Herkimer is on the colder side of New York for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 82 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 167 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 4th of 57 counties.
On February 4, 2023 the low fell to about -26°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 38 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to April, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 12 and the last spring freeze around May 12.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of New York. The county gets about 51.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.6 days of an inch or more (13th of 57). Those downpours cluster in July, August and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.86 inches on August 10, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.28 inches (through August 10, 2024).
About 107 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
New York's 57 counties range widely in housing age; Herkimer ranks 14th, with 73% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 55% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 9% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
21% 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
About 3 nights a year in Herkimer County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (52nd 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Herkimer County it's 45% utility gas, 14% electric, 9% propane and 6% 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 Herkimer 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 Herkimer. Montgomery County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Herkimer | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 55% | 45% | 7 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 67% | 14 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 13% | 44 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.7% | 7.6% | 23 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 14% | 16 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 19% | 35 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 82/yr | 55/yr | 4 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.6/yr | 6/yr | 13 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 107/yr | 101/yr | 9 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 3/yr | 12/yr | 52 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 Herkimer County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in July, 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