Jefferson County, New York · Watertown
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With 42% of homes built before 1960 and about 67 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
October brings the most downpours to Jefferson County, part of 4.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
42% 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.
Jefferson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.28 inches, and about 89 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
22% of occupied homes in Jefferson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the New York county median of 19%.
With 15 muggy nights a year, mold in Jefferson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 61,862 homes and around 115,040 residents, Jefferson County is 1,268 square miles of northern New York. Besides Watertown, the county seat, the biggest communities are Fort Drum, Carthage and Calcium. Half the homes here were built before 1972, half after.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Jefferson County ranks 28 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jefferson County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Jefferson County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of New York. It averaged 142 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 67 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 10th.
The longest cold spell was straight 32 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -27°F on February 14, 2016. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 14 and end around May 7.
Jefferson gets fewer downpours than most New York counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 43.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.8 days of an inch or more (39th of 57). Those downpours cluster in July, August and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.28 inches on October 30, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.46 inches, ending October 31, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 89 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
56% of homes in Jefferson County predate 1980, below the New York county median of 66.8%, which ranks 54th of New York's 57 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 22% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 22% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 10% 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.
With 23% 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.
Renters occupy 45% 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
Jefferson County averages 15 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in October. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Jefferson County it's 39% utility gas, 23% electric, 17% propane and 5% wood. Propane heat is 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 Jefferson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lewis and St. Lawrence get more pipe-freeze nights than Jefferson. Cayuga County has the oldest housing nearby, with 71% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jefferson | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 42% | 45% | 38 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 67% | 54 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 13% | 2 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 10% | 7.6% | 16 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 23% | 14% | 12 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 19% | 24 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 67/yr | 55/yr | 10 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.8/yr | 6/yr | 39 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 101/yr | 45 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 15/yr | 12/yr | 21 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 Jefferson 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