Steuben County, New York · Bath
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With 47% of homes built before 1960 and about 56 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Steuben County averages 4.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
47% 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.
Steuben County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.11 inches, and about 102 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
21% of occupied homes in Steuben County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the New York county median of 19%.
With 6 muggy nights a year, mold in Steuben County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 47,665 homes and around 92,588 residents, Steuben County is 1,391 square miles of western New York. Besides Bath, the county seat, the biggest communities are Corning, Hornell and Gang Mills. Half the homes here were built before 1963, half after.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Steuben County ranks 41 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Steuben County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Steuben County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 145 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 56 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 24th.
On February 24, 2015 the low fell to about -16°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 19 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 10.
Steuben gets fewer downpours than most New York counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 37.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.1 days of an inch or more (47th of 57). Those downpours cluster in July, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.11 inches on August 19, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.23 inches, ending August 19, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 102 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
New York's 57 counties range widely in housing age; Steuben ranks 26th, with 68% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 47% predate 1960 and 12% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 13% 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 18% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 6 times a year here, below the New York county median of 12. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Steuben County it's 55% utility gas, 15% electric, 14% propane and 7% 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 Steuben County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Allegany gets more pipe-freeze nights than Steuben. Chemung County has the oldest housing nearby, with 82% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Steuben | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 47% | 45% | 23 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 68% | 67% | 26 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 13% | 39 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 7.6% | 5 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 14% | 22 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 19% | 26 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 56/yr | 55/yr | 24 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.1/yr | 6/yr | 47 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 102/yr | 101/yr | 21 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 12/yr | 43 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 Steuben County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in July, September 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