Putnam County, New York · Carmel
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Putnam County averages 38 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 37% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.9 times a year here, most often in October. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Putnam County gets about 7.9 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 98 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Putnam 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 36 times a year in Putnam County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 98,107 people live in Putnam County, 230 square miles in southeast New York, in roughly 38,450 homes. The county seat is Carmel, and Mahopac, Lake Carmel and Putnam Lake round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1968.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Putnam County ranks 46 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Putnam County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Putnam County is milder than most of New York, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 38 nights a year at or below 20°F (53rd of 57) and 119 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 14, 2016 the low fell to about -10°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.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 30 and the last spring freeze around Apr 18.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of New York. About 7.9 days a year bring an inch or more (11th of 57), most often in October, out of 45 inches of total precipitation. On September 2, 2021, 5.21 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.36 inches (through September 2, 2021).
About 98 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; Putnam ranks 28th, with 67% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 37% of homes are pre-1960 and 12% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Beyond water
About 36 nights a year in Putnam County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (5th of 57 counties). July 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Putnam County homes break down as 10% utility gas, 23% electric, 7% propane and 1% 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 Putnam County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dutchess and Orange get more pipe-freeze nights than Putnam. Westchester County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Putnam | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 37% | 45% | 48 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 67% | 67% | 28 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 13% | 38 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 0.7% | 7.6% | 55 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 7.6% | 14% | 47 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.8% | 19% | 47 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 38/yr | 55/yr | 53 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.9/yr | 6/yr | 11 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 98/yr | 101/yr | 33 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 36/yr | 12/yr | 5 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 Putnam County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in September, October and December.
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